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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. last — final
  3. suit — clothes
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. present — the time now
  6. last — finally
  7. land — to come down
  8. last — to go on
  9. suit — in cards
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. game — wild animals
  12. land — ground
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. suit — to fit
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. ground — the earth
  18. present — there
  19. land — a country
  20. ground — crushed
  21. rush — hurry
  22. game — a match
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. present — a gift

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