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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  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. bear — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. court — of law
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — the earth
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cold — an illness
  9. spell — magic
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bear — the animal
  12. court — of a king
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. spell — a short time
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — to tease
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. court — for sport
  20. club — a group
  21. spell — letters
  22. club — for dancing
  23. cold — not warm
  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