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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. club — for golf
  3. ground — a position
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. ball — a dance
  6. club — for dancing
  7. spell — magic
  8. ball — a great time
  9. club — a group
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. spell — letters
  12. ground — crushed
  13. face — to confront
  14. lie — to recline
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. face — to point toward
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. face — part of the head
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. spell — a short time
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — to eat with

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