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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. spring — the season
  3. charge — in control
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. spring — of water
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. degree — an amount
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. degree — from a university
  12. charge — a price
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a line
  15. degree — temperature
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. ground — the earth
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. ground — crushed
  23. charge — electricity
  24. court — of law

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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