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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. ground — the earth
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. lean — to bend
  7. ground — crushed
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. mate — to breed
  11. court — of law
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bear — the animal
  15. row — a line
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. court — of a king
  18. lean — thin
  19. bear — the animal
  20. court — for sport
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — a trail

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