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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. staff — a stick
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. last — final
  9. season — of the year
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. last — finally
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — the earth
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. season — in sport
  18. staff — employees
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. last — to go on
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. staff — employees

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