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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. file — a document
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. spell — a short time
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. ground — crushed
  10. spell — magic
  11. toast — bread
  12. land — to come down
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — music
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. land — a country
  20. pop — to visit
  21. spell — letters
  22. ground — the earth
  23. wax — to grow
  24. land — ground

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