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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. ground — crushed
  3. band — a ring
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. craft — boats
  6. court — of a king
  7. ground — the earth
  8. swing — to play on
  9. mark — a trace
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. swing — music
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. craft — a skill
  14. land — to come down
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. court — for sport
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. ground — a position
  19. swing — in golf
  20. land — a country
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. mark — a grade
  23. band — a music group
  24. land — ground

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