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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 · jam · leaves · ground · bear · sharp · tube · mate

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. mate — a friend
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. ground — the earth
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — of law
  10. bear — the animal
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. ground — a position
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — the underground
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. tube — a container
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. bear — the animal
  21. ground — crushed
  22. court — for sport
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — clever

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