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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. rule — government
  3. pop — to visit
  4. ground — the earth
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. ground — crushed
  7. fine — all right
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. club — for golf
  10. rock — a stone
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — music
  13. club — for dancing
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. hand — in cards
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — high quality
  18. rule — a law
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. rock — music
  21. foot — a measure
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. club — a group

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