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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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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: jam · rest · present · ground · bay · face · net · court

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — for sport
  5. face — to point toward
  6. net — in sport
  7. ground — crushed
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to confront
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. net — for catching
  14. present — a gift
  15. present — the time now
  16. net — after costs
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. present — there
  20. rest — a break
  21. court — of law
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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