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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. ground — a position
  3. field — a subject
  4. rest — what's left
  5. field — for sport
  6. rest — what's left
  7. present — there
  8. rest — a break
  9. field — farmland
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. pass — a permit
  16. present — a gift
  17. ground — crushed
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. ground — the earth

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