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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bear — the animal
  7. current — happening now
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. ground — a position
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. kick — in football
  12. bear — the animal
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. ground — the earth
  23. current — of water
  24. current — electric

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