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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. season — in sport
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. present — there
  6. season — of the year
  7. scale — in music
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. sharp — clever
  11. present — a gift
  12. game — a match
  13. spell — a short time
  14. ground — crushed
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — letters
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — wild animals
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. present — the time now
  22. scale — size or range
  23. ground — the earth
  24. lash — to lash out

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