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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. march — music
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rest — a break
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. chair — a leader
  9. rest — what's left
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. pop — music
  12. ground — a position
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wind — moving air
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. march — the month
  19. wind — moving air
  20. ground — crushed
  21. rest — what's left
  22. march — the month
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. pop — soda

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