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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. row — a line
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. rest — a break
  7. dip — to sink
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rest — what's left
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. chair — a leader
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. rest — what's left
  17. ground — crushed
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. row — to paddle
  21. pit — a hole
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pit — in a race

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