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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. drill — a practice
  6. firm — a company
  7. firm — decided
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. chip — for betting
  13. drill — army training
  14. bat — the animal
  15. wind — moving air
  16. chip — to eat
  17. drill — the tool
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. firm — steady
  21. fine — all right
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — the earth
  24. rest — what's left

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