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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: row · sharp · roll · hide · ground · chair · mug · last

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  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. mug — a cup
  2. ground — crushed
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — clever
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — finally
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. roll — a cake
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a line
  12. roll — a list
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. last — final
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mug — a face
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. ground — a position
  22. mug — to rob
  23. hide — animal skin
  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