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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. sharp — clever
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — the earth
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. season — in sport
  7. stand — to bear
  8. chest — a box
  9. roll — a list
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. chest — of your body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pop — music
  17. ground — crushed
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. roll — a cake
  20. pop — soda
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. season — of the year
  24. arm — part of the body

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