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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. game — a match
  3. ground — a position
  4. swing — to play on
  5. mate — to breed
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. mate — a friend
  8. object — to protest
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — clever
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. object — an aim
  16. ground — crushed
  17. game — wild animals
  18. snap — to click
  19. foot — a measure
  20. mate — a partner
  21. object — a thing
  22. swing — music
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. swing — in golf

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