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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. ground — a position
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. ground — crushed
  5. fine — all right
  6. track — a path
  7. ground — the earth
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. track — a song
  10. race — humankind
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. race — the arms race
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. race — a contest
  18. track — to keep track

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