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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 120 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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. rush — hurry
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bound — tied together
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fall — the season
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. rest — a break
  13. ground — a position
  14. kick — in football
  15. bound — obliged
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. ground — crushed
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bound — certain
  21. rest — what's left
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rush — to hurry

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