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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — the earth
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. mate — a friend
  6. row — a line
  7. ground — crushed
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. season — in sport
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mate — a partner
  13. plane — a tool
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. row — to paddle
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bark — to shout
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. season — of the year
  23. tube — a container
  24. mate — to breed

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