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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. ground — the earth
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — a break
  5. suit — in cards
  6. club — for golf
  7. ground — a position
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wind — moving air
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. chest — of your body
  14. press — to push
  15. club — a group
  16. suit — clothes
  17. ground — crushed
  18. press — newspapers
  19. club — for dancing
  20. chest — of your body
  21. suit — to fit
  22. press — a publisher
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — a garden tool

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