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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. rash — hasty
  3. ball — a great time
  4. charge — a price
  5. land — ground
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. last — final
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. charge — in control
  18. ground — crushed
  19. charge — electricity
  20. land — to come down
  21. last — to go on
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. last — finally
  24. land — a country

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