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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. staff — employees
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — a position
  5. lean — to bend
  6. ground — crushed
  7. lean — thin
  8. mug — to rob
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. last — finally
  12. mug — a cup
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. staff — employees
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. mug — a face
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. staff — a stick
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. last — to go on
  22. row — a line
  23. last — final
  24. row — to paddle

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