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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — crushed
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. track — a path
  6. last — finally
  7. roll — a list
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. track — to keep track
  10. last — final
  11. ground — a position
  12. sharp — clever
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. last — to go on
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. track — a song
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. fine — all right
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. fine — high quality

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