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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. spell — a short time
  3. march — the month
  4. spring — the season
  5. ground — the earth
  6. spell — magic
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. march — music
  12. spring — of water
  13. spell — letters
  14. chair — a leader
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. march — the month
  22. pass — a permit
  23. wake — a trail
  24. spring — a coil

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