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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. rush — hurry
  3. ground — a position
  4. band — a ring
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. row — a line
  9. ground — the earth
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. lie — to recline
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. stand — to bear
  17. band — a music group
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. kid — child
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. ground — crushed

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