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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. pound — a weight
  3. march — the month
  4. fork — in a road
  5. ground — crushed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. march — music
  9. foot — a measure
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. march — the month
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bat — the animal
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. mate — to breed
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. mate — a partner

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