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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. spell — magic
  3. row — to paddle
  4. ground — the earth
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. file — a tool
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. row — a line
  9. club — for dancing
  10. ground — crushed
  11. spell — letters
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. object — a thing
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a line of people
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to click
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. club — a group
  21. object — an aim
  22. object — to protest
  23. club — for golf
  24. spell — a short time

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