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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. land — a country
  3. ground — crushed
  4. pop — music
  5. club — for golf
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. toast — bread
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. ground — the earth
  11. chest — a box
  12. pop — to visit
  13. chest — of your body
  14. club — a group
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. mark — a trace
  17. club — for dancing
  18. land — ground
  19. land — to come down
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. chest — of your body
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pop — soda
  24. ground — a position

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