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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — crushed
  4. spell — magic
  5. swing — to play on
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. rash — hasty
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. ground — a position
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. swing — music
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. swing — in golf
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. spell — letters
  19. rash — a series
  20. spell — a short time
  21. lean — to bend
  22. sharp — clever
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. lean — thin

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