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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 120 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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. rest — what's left
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. ground — crushed
  5. firm — steady
  6. net — in sport
  7. rest — what's left
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. net — after costs
  14. firm — a company
  15. rest — a break
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. snap — to click
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. ground — the earth
  22. firm — decided
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. net — for catching

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