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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 · fine · sharp · swing · toast · court · date · land

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of a king
  4. swing — music
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. ground — crushed
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. ground — the earth
  12. fine — high quality
  13. swing — to play on
  14. land — ground
  15. court — of law
  16. ground — a position
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — a country
  19. sharp — clever
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. toast — bread
  22. swing — in golf
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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