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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 124 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. spring — a coil
  8. ground — the earth
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bat — the animal
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. ground — crushed
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. spring — of water
  20. ground — a position
  21. foot — a measure
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. spring — the season
  24. coach — a trainer

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