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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: court · ground · rock · pass · spring · field · foot · hide

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. spring — of water
  3. court — of a king
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — crushed
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. field — a subject
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. spring — the season
  15. foot — a measure
  16. rock — music
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — for sport
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. pass — a permit
  22. ground — a position
  23. spring — a coil
  24. rock — a stone

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