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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 120 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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — in music
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — a position
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rest — what's left
  7. lean — thin
  8. wound — an injury
  9. current — of water
  10. game — a match
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. rest — what's left
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — for sport
  15. game — wild animals
  16. current — happening now
  17. scale — size or range
  18. ground — the earth
  19. field — a subject
  20. lean — to bend
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rest — a break
  23. game — a kind of play
  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