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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 120 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bore — to tire
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — a position
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. field — a subject
  10. court — of a king
  11. field — for sport
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. board — to get on
  17. field — farmland
  18. pop — music
  19. ground — the earth
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. pop — soda
  22. court — for sport
  23. board — a committee
  24. vault — a safe

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