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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. ground — a position
  3. rest — what's left
  4. game — wild animals
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. dip — to sink
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. march — the month
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. march — music
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. rest — what's left
  15. ground — the earth
  16. game — a match
  17. march — the month
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. ground — crushed
  22. shower — rain
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. game — a kind of play

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