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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. kid — child
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. kid — to tease
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bat — the animal
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. sharp — clever
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. ground — a position
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. lie — to recline
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rest — a break
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stand — to bear

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