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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. can — a tin
  3. ground — a position
  4. fall — to drop
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fall — to drop
  9. can — to be able to
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ground — the earth
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fall — the season
  15. wake — a trail
  16. can — a tin
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — help
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. fork — in a road
  23. ball — a great time
  24. wake — before a funeral

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