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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. ground — the earth
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rush — hurry
  7. kid — to tease
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. ground — crushed
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. kid — child
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. season — in sport
  17. ground — a position
  18. mate — a friend
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a partner
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. ruler — a monarch

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