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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — crushed
  3. club — a group
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. last — finally
  7. club — for dancing
  8. saw — the tool
  9. swing — to play on
  10. current — of water
  11. ground — the earth
  12. club — for golf
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. swing — music
  15. saw — the tool
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. swing — in golf
  18. current — happening now
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. last — to go on
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. current — electric
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. last — final

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