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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. chest — a box
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. chest — of your body
  6. net — in sport
  7. march — music
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chest — of your body
  10. ground — crushed
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. mate — a friend
  13. net — for catching
  14. march — the month
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. net — after costs
  17. mate — to breed
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. ground — the earth
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. march — the month
  22. mate — a partner
  23. roll — a list
  24. roll — a cake

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