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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — a position
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. season — in sport
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. toast — bread
  11. dip — to sink
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. firm — a company
  16. firm — decided
  17. ground — the earth
  18. wind — moving air
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. season — of the year
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. firm — steady

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