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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 120 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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. game — wild animals
  3. ground — a position
  4. cue — a signal
  5. fork — in a road
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cue — for pool
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — thin
  14. game — a match
  15. chest — a box
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rest — what's left
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. cue — a hint
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — crushed

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