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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. court — of a king
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. charge — in control
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. deal — to handle
  10. ground — crushed
  11. charge — a price
  12. bark — to shout
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. ground — a position
  16. squash — the sport
  17. shower — rain
  18. court — of law
  19. shower — to wash
  20. ground — the earth
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. squash — to crush
  23. court — for sport
  24. bark — of a tree

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