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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. present — a gift
  3. band — a music group
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. present — the time now
  6. staff — employees
  7. present — there
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. fall — to drop
  10. ground — crushed
  11. fall — to drop
  12. ground — the earth
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. staff — a stick
  16. foot — a measure
  17. staff — employees
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. fall — the season
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. band — a ring
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — a young animal

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