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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 116 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rest — what's left
  3. ground — a position
  4. field — for sport
  5. rest — a break
  6. dip — to sink
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mug — to rob
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — a series
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mug — a cup
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. mug — a face
  23. bulb — for light
  24. ground — the earth

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