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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. court — of law
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bound — certain
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bat — the animal
  10. fine — all right
  11. race — a contest
  12. key — for a lock
  13. ground — crushed
  14. fine — high quality
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bound — tied together
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — humankind
  22. snap — to click
  23. ground — a position
  24. bat — in an idiom

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