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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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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: rest · calf · last · mark · ground · object · deal · court

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — the earth
  3. last — to go on
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mark — a grade
  6. rest — what's left
  7. deal — to handle
  8. ground — crushed
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. court — for sport
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. court — of law
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. object — a thing
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. object — an aim
  19. last — finally
  20. object — to protest
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. mark — a trace
  23. last — final
  24. court — of a king

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