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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. staff — employees
  3. ground — crushed
  4. staff — a stick
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. board — a committee
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. pit — in a race
  9. rest — a break
  10. ground — the earth
  11. season — of the year
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rest — what's left
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pit — a hole
  17. season — in sport
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. fall — the season
  22. staff — employees
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. board — to get on

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