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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bass — low music
  4. ground — a position
  5. court — of law
  6. cold — an illness
  7. court — of a king
  8. cold — not warm
  9. row — to paddle
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. pass — a permit
  14. ground — crushed
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. court — for sport
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bass — the fish
  21. lie — to recline
  22. deal — to handle
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. ground — the earth

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