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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. kick — in football
  3. ground — a position
  4. cap — a hat
  5. field — for sport
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. cap — of ice
  9. fine — high quality
  10. rash — hasty
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. cap — a lid
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. ground — the earth
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — a subject
  18. plane — a tool
  19. ground — crushed
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — all right
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. snap — to click
  24. kick — with a leg

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