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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. court — of law
  3. ground — crushed
  4. saw — the tool
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. wind — moving air
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. mug — a face
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. mug — to rob
  13. swing — to play on
  14. mark — a trace
  15. ground — a position
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. swing — in golf
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. saw — the tool
  21. swing — music
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mark — a grade
  24. ground — the earth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com