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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. cell — a phone
  4. rash — hasty
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bass — the fish
  7. kick — in football
  8. cue — for pool
  9. rash — a series
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. fall — the season
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cell — in biology
  15. ground — crushed
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. bass — low music
  20. ground — the earth
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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