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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. drill — army training
  3. rest — what's left
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. row — a line
  11. sharp — clever
  12. drill — the tool
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. ground — the earth
  15. row — to paddle
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rest — a break
  18. ground — crushed
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. season — of the year
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. drill — a practice
  23. season — in sport
  24. rest — what's left

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