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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. ground — the earth
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. land — ground
  8. season — in sport
  9. land — to come down
  10. ground — crushed
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — a grade
  15. charge — a price
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. season — of the year
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. charge — in control
  20. land — a country
  21. rush — hurry
  22. wake — a trail
  23. charge — electricity
  24. racket — for tennis

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