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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 120 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — the season
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. spell — a short time
  6. foot — a measure
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — in control
  9. rest — a break
  10. kick — in football
  11. ground — a position
  12. rest — what's left
  13. spell — magic
  14. content — happy
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. rest — what's left
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. ground — the earth
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. spell — letters
  22. content — the amount
  23. spring — a coil
  24. charge — electricity

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