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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. club — for golf
  4. rash — a series
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. club — a group
  11. saw — the tool
  12. snap — to click
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rash — hasty
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. foot — a measure
  17. ground — the earth
  18. club — for dancing
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. fork — in a road

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