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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. ground — crushed
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. swing — to play on
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. land — ground
  7. rest — a break
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. ground — the earth
  10. rest — what's left
  11. ground — a position
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wind — moving air
  15. land — a country
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a dance
  18. swing — in golf
  19. ball — a great time
  20. mark — a trace
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. land — to come down
  23. mark — a grade
  24. rest — what's left

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