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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ball — a dance
  5. march — the month
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ground — a position
  9. land — a country
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. march — music
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. land — to come down
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — a trace
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. ball — a great time
  21. land — ground
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. march — the month
  24. wind — to turn a key

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