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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. ground — crushed
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. rest — a break
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. ground — the earth
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. kid — to tease
  12. board — to get on
  13. fine — all right
  14. fine — high quality
  15. lean — thin
  16. foot — a measure
  17. rest — what's left
  18. ground — a position
  19. lean — to bend
  20. rest — what's left
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. season — of the year
  23. board — a committee
  24. foot — the bottom

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