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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 116 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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. spring — of water
  5. pitch — completely
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. ground — crushed
  8. spring — a coil
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. drill — a practice
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. spring — the season
  15. drill — the tool
  16. wound — an injury
  17. drill — army training
  18. court — of law
  19. wound — an injury
  20. ground — a position
  21. plane — a tool
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitch — a sports field

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