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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. suit — to fit
  4. present — a gift
  5. game — wild animals
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. race — a contest
  9. game — a match
  10. ground — crushed
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. race — the arms race
  13. ground — the earth
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — size or range
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. suit — in cards
  18. scale — in music
  19. dip — to sink
  20. deal — to handle
  21. present — there
  22. present — the time now
  23. race — humankind
  24. suit — clothes

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