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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. court — of a king
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — a position
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. dip — to sink
  14. field — for sport
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. chair — a leader
  17. court — of law
  18. field — farmland
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. field — a subject
  22. mark — a trace
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bowl — to roll

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