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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. rest — what's left
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. scale — in music
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — for digging
  10. ground — crushed
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. scale — size or range
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. snap — to click
  17. rest — a break
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. ground — the earth
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. rush — hurry
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. ground — a position

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