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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: cold · plane · court · rash · fork · ground · ball · bulb

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. ground — a position
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. court — for sport
  9. cold — not warm
  10. ball — a great time
  11. court — of law
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bulb — for light
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. ground — the earth
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. court — of a king
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cold — an illness
  21. ground — crushed
  22. plane — a tool
  23. rash — hasty
  24. ball — a dance

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