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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. wound — an injury
  6. ground — a position
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. ground — the earth
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. ground — crushed
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. pass — a permit
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. rock — music
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rock — a stone
  24. leaves — to go away

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