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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 116 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. ground — crushed
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bass — low music
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bear — the animal
  10. spell — magic
  11. bass — the fish
  12. spell — letters
  13. wound — an injury
  14. ground — a position
  15. lean — thin
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bear — the animal
  22. lean — to bend
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cold — an illness

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