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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 120 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: sharp · ground · deal · leaves · pit · land · nail · court

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. ground — the earth
  4. pit — a hole
  5. ground — crushed
  6. court — for sport
  7. land — to come down
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — clever
  11. land — ground
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. land — a country
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. court — of a king
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. deal — to handle
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — in a race
  22. court — of law
  23. ground — a position
  24. nail — for a hammer

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