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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · wound · court · bore · content · plane · rush · ground

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. court — of a king
  8. content — happy
  9. content — the amount
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. rush — hurry
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bore — to tire
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bore — to drill
  17. ground — a position
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. wound — an injury
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of law
  24. wound — an injury

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