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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — the earth
  3. band — a music group
  4. track — a path
  5. ground — crushed
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a song
  8. season — of the year
  9. cell — in biology
  10. mug — a face
  11. band — a ring
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. mug — to rob
  16. season — in sport
  17. lie — to recline
  18. mug — a cup
  19. roll — a cake
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. roll — a list
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cell — a phone
  24. lie — an untruth

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