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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. court — of law
  3. rest — what's left
  4. ground — a position
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. fall — to drop
  8. lie — to recline
  9. mug — a cup
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. fall — the season
  12. swing — music
  13. mug — a face
  14. swing — in golf
  15. wound — an injury
  16. court — for sport
  17. ground — the earth
  18. rest — a break
  19. mug — to rob
  20. court — of a king
  21. swing — to play on
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wound — an injury
  24. ground — crushed

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