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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — the earth
  3. row — a line
  4. scale — in music
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. file — a line of people
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ground — a position
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a document

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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