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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: lean · ball · game · foot · rush · ground · toast · season

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — the earth
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. ball — a dance
  6. game — wild animals
  7. lean — thin
  8. toast — bread
  9. rush — hurry
  10. ground — crushed
  11. season — in sport
  12. game — a match
  13. lean — to bend
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. foot — a measure
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — to add flavour

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