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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mark · fine · date · bat · chest · bowl · court · ground

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  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. bowl — a dish
  2. mark — a trace
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. court — for sport
  6. chest — a box
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. ground — a position
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. court — of a king
  11. bat — the animal
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fine — high quality
  16. mark — a grade
  17. ground — crushed
  18. fine — all right
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. ground — the earth
  21. date — the fruit
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. mark — to pay attention
  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