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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — a cup
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. ground — a position
  7. shower — to wash
  8. face — to point toward
  9. fork — in a road
  10. face — to confront
  11. shower — rain
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. mug — to rob
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. face — part of the head
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — in football
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ground — the earth
  24. dip — to sink

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