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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. net — for catching
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. ground — crushed
  5. rest — what's left
  6. row — to paddle
  7. rest — a break
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. game — wild animals
  10. net — after costs
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. staff — a stick
  13. season — of the year
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. ground — the earth
  17. rest — what's left
  18. staff — employees
  19. row — a line
  20. staff — employees
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. season — in sport
  23. game — a match
  24. net — in sport

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