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

Word bank: kid · ground · season · bay · snap · charge · rest · stick

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  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. ground — crushed
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. rest — a break
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. ground — a position
  11. charge — a price
  12. rest — what's left
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. season — in sport
  16. charge — electricity
  17. kid — child
  18. charge — in control
  19. season — of the year
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. rest — what's left
  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