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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. court — of law
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. fine — all right
  5. court — for sport
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. court — of a king
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. ground — the earth
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. branch — a division
  21. ground — a position
  22. kick — in football
  23. bear — the animal
  24. kick — with a leg

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