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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. cap — of ice
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — a position
  6. mug — a cup
  7. game — a match
  8. mug — a face
  9. tear — from crying
  10. mug — to rob
  11. cap — a hat
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. cap — a lid
  14. tear — to rip
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. last — finally
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. ground — the earth
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. rash — hasty
  24. tear — from crying

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