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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. last — final
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — crushed
  6. toast — bread
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. club — a group
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. ball — a great time
  14. club — for dancing
  15. last — to go on
  16. lie — to recline
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. club — for golf
  20. ball — a dance
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. last — finally
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. ground — the earth

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