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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. tube — a container
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. ground — crushed
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tear — from crying
  14. deal — to handle
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. dip — to sink
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cell — in biology
  21. tear — to rip
  22. cell — a phone
  23. ground — a position
  24. wake — a trail

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