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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. spring — of water
  6. ground — the earth
  7. swing — in golf
  8. wound — an injury
  9. spring — the season
  10. ground — a position
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. swing — music
  16. spring — a coil
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. spell — letters
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. swing — to play on
  22. foot — a measure
  23. wound — an injury
  24. spell — magic

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