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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. club — for golf
  3. spell — a short time
  4. wound — an injury
  5. ground — the earth
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. charge — a price
  12. spell — magic
  13. club — for dancing
  14. spell — letters
  15. club — a group
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. mark — a grade
  18. ground — crushed
  19. charge — in control
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mark — a trace
  22. stem — to come from
  23. charge — electricity
  24. mark — to pay attention

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