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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. row — to paddle
  3. roll — a list
  4. face — to confront
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. ground — crushed
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. bass — low music
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. row — a line
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bass — the fish
  15. hand — help
  16. roll — a cake
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. face — to point toward
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. ground — the earth
  23. hand — in cards
  24. toast — bread

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