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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. mine — for digging
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. kick — in football
  5. prune — to trim
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. ball — a dance
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. lie — to recline
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. prune — to trim
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. ground — the earth
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. ground — a position
  23. ball — a great time
  24. prune — the fruit

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