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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. current — of water
  3. bear — the animal
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bear — the animal
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. ground — a position
  8. court — of law
  9. current — electric
  10. foot — a measure
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. court — of a king
  14. spell — letters
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. ground — the earth
  18. current — happening now
  19. ground — crushed
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. spell — magic
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. spell — a short time

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