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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. ground — a position
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. present — the time now
  6. bass — low music
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. capital — money
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. row — a line
  12. ground — crushed
  13. present — there
  14. stand — to bear
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. ground — the earth
  18. capital — a city
  19. bass — the fish
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. present — a gift
  24. bowl — a football final

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