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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 116 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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pop — to visit
  3. rest — what's left
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. ground — a position
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. file — a line of people
  8. lean — thin
  9. cap — a hat
  10. file — a document
  11. cap — a lid
  12. ground — crushed
  13. rest — a break
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. season — in sport
  16. lean — to bend
  17. ground — the earth
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. file — a tool
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. pop — music
  22. season — of the year
  23. cap — of ice
  24. pop — soda

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