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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: bowl · suit · bear · nail · ground · arm · fall · court

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of a king
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. ground — the earth
  6. suit — to fit
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. suit — clothes
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. ground — a position
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. fall — to drop
  15. suit — in cards
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. fall — the season
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. fall — to drop
  21. ground — crushed
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. court — of law

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