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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 116 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. game — wild animals
  3. march — the month
  4. ground — crushed
  5. cue — for pool
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. ground — the earth
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. march — music
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. object — to protest
  13. cue — a hint
  14. wind — moving air
  15. game — a match
  16. object — an aim
  17. mine — for digging
  18. wind — moving air
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. object — a thing
  22. march — the month
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. cue — a signal

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