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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. season — of the year
  3. ground — crushed
  4. rash — hasty
  5. object — an aim
  6. season — in sport
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. spell — magic
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — music
  11. spell — letters
  12. toast — bread
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. object — a thing
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. dip — to sink
  18. object — to protest
  19. rash — a series
  20. spell — a short time
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. pop — soda
  24. ground — the earth

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