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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. drill — army training
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. mug — a face
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. rest — what's left
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bass — the fish
  20. ground — the earth
  21. mug — to rob
  22. rest — a break
  23. mug — a cup
  24. ground — crushed

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