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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — a position
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ground — the earth
  9. firm — a company
  10. bound — certain
  11. firm — decided
  12. firm — steady
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rest — what's left
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. perch — the fish
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. bound — obliged
  22. plane — a tool
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. perch — for a bird

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