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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. tear — from crying
  3. game — a match
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — magic
  6. ground — crushed
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. season — of the year
  9. tear — to rip
  10. pit — in a race
  11. tear — from crying
  12. court — of law
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. season — in sport
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. ground — a position
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. court — of a king
  21. spell — letters
  22. pit — a hole
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. court — for sport

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