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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. swing — music
  4. drill — the tool
  5. last — final
  6. ground — a position
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. drill — army training
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. swing — in golf
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. ground — crushed
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. last — to go on
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. drill — a practice
  17. swing — to play on
  18. foot — a measure
  19. date — the fruit
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — a division
  24. last — finally

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