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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. mate — a partner
  3. foot — a measure
  4. tear — to rip
  5. pound — a weight
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mate — a friend
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stand — to bear
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. mate — to breed
  16. present — a gift
  17. ground — crushed
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. ground — the earth
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — there
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. pound — to hit hard

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