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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. mark — a trace
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. mark — a grade
  6. saw — the tool
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. saw — the tool
  10. last — final
  11. last — to go on
  12. court — for sport
  13. ground — the earth
  14. last — finally
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. dip — to sink
  17. court — of law
  18. ground — crushed
  19. club — a group
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. court — of a king
  22. club — for dancing
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. club — for golf

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