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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 120 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  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. leaves — lets stay
  2. ground — a position
  3. spring — of water
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ground — the earth
  6. spring — the season
  7. ball — a great time
  8. deal — to handle
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — farmland
  11. spring — a coil
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. court — of a king
  14. field — for sport
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. pass — a permit
  18. court — for sport
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. ground — crushed
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. court — of law

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