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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. ground — a position
  4. rock — a stone
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. ground — crushed
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. foot — a measure
  9. ground — the earth
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. rock — music
  12. mine — for digging
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bark — to shout
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. wound — an injury
  24. foot — the bottom

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