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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. row — a line
  3. cap — of ice
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. fine — all right
  6. land — to come down
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. rash — a series
  9. ground — the earth
  10. rash — hasty
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. cap — a hat
  13. ground — crushed
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. row — to paddle
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. cap — a lid
  20. land — a country
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. land — ground
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. fine — high quality

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