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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: ground · sharp · bear · bat · cabinet · game · club · court

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  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. bat — for baseball
  3. court — of law
  4. club — for dancing
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bat — the animal
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. court — for sport
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. club — a group
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. game — a match
  15. ground — crushed
  16. club — for golf
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. ground — the earth
  21. sharp — clever
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — wild animals
  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