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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 116 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. 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. pop — to visit
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. squash — the sport
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — a position
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pop — soda
  8. saw — the tool
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. squash — to crush
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. pop — music
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. 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