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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 116 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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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: last · ground · stand · court · hide · fork · wind · dip

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. ground — crushed
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. last — final
  6. ground — a position
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. court — for sport
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. court — of a king
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. dip — to sink
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. fork — in a road
  16. court — of law
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. wind — moving air
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. ground — the earth
  23. last — finally
  24. last — to go on

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