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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 116 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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — a group
  4. last — to go on
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. last — finally
  7. object — a thing
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. object — an aim
  10. last — final
  11. ground — crushed
  12. field — a subject
  13. ground — a position
  14. object — to protest
  15. club — for dancing
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — a trail
  22. field — for sport
  23. rash — a series
  24. field — farmland

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