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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. track — to keep track
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. track — a path
  7. season — of the year
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. row — a line
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. ground — crushed
  13. lean — thin
  14. track — a song
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. lean — to bend
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. row — to paddle
  19. season — in sport
  20. ground — the earth
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. racket — for tennis

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