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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — the earth
  3. mine — for digging
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. lean — thin
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — for sport
  9. drill — the tool
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. wake — a trail
  12. lean — to bend
  13. field — a subject
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. ground — crushed
  19. chair — a leader
  20. drill — a practice
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. drill — army training

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