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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 124 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fine — high quality
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. court — of a king
  7. pop — soda
  8. date — the fruit
  9. rush — hurry
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. net — in sport
  12. pop — music
  13. court — for sport
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. fine — all right
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. net — after costs
  19. court — of law
  20. ground — crushed
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. net — for catching
  23. ground — a position
  24. date — on the calendar

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