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

Word bank: bulb · foot · wave · deal · bay · pitch · ground · court

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. ground — a position
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. ground — crushed
  7. foot — a measure
  8. court — of law
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. court — for sport
  22. deal — to handle
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bulb — for light

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