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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: net · ball · sharp · court · ground · deal · face · mouse

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. court — for sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — in sport
  7. ground — crushed
  8. face — to confront
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. face — to point toward
  11. ball — a dance
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. deal — to handle
  14. face — part of the head
  15. sharp — clever
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. net — after costs
  20. ground — the earth
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ground — a position
  24. court — of law

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