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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. file — a document
  4. ground — a position
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. wax — to grow
  10. shower — rain
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. file — a line of people
  13. kick — in football
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. ground — crushed
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. saw — the tool
  22. shower — to wash
  23. saw — the tool
  24. file — a tool

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