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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. ground — a position
  3. toast — bread
  4. roll — a cake
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. swing — to play on
  9. bear — the animal
  10. ball — a dance
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. bear — the animal
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. roll — a list
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ball — a great time
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. swing — music

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