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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. net — for catching
  3. ground — the earth
  4. court — for sport
  5. bank — for money
  6. snap — to click
  7. game — a match
  8. court — of a king
  9. bank — for money
  10. ground — a position
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — a measure
  13. court — of law
  14. key — for a lock
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. net — in sport
  18. key — in music
  19. ground — crushed
  20. net — after costs
  21. key — the most important part
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bank — of a river

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