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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. spring — the season
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. swing — music
  5. club — a group
  6. ground — the earth
  7. club — for dancing
  8. mark — a grade
  9. sharp — clever
  10. cue — a signal
  11. ground — a position
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. fall — the season
  14. cue — a hint
  15. swing — in golf
  16. spring — a coil
  17. mark — a trace
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cue — for pool
  20. spring — of water
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. fall — to drop
  23. swing — to play on
  24. club — for golf

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