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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. net — in sport
  3. cap — of ice
  4. mug — a face
  5. suit — clothes
  6. ground — the earth
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. cap — a lid
  10. mug — to rob
  11. ground — crushed
  12. suit — to fit
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. cap — a hat
  15. rest — a break
  16. net — after costs
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. suit — in cards
  20. net — for catching
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. hand — in cards
  23. mug — a cup
  24. patient — a sick person

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