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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — a position
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — a container
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. rest — a break
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. suit — in cards
  14. ground — the earth
  15. suit — clothes
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. suit — to fit
  18. rest — what's left
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. rest — what's left
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. fork — in a road
  23. tube — the underground
  24. pound — a weight

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