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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  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. ball — a dance
  2. ground — the earth
  3. field — for sport
  4. ground — crushed
  5. court — for sport
  6. bound — obliged
  7. present — there
  8. field — farmland
  9. court — of law
  10. ground — a position
  11. court — of a king
  12. fall — the season
  13. spell — magic
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — a gift
  16. bound — certain
  17. field — a subject
  18. spell — letters
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bound — tied together
  21. ball — a great time
  22. fall — to drop
  23. ball — a round shape
  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