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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. spring — a coil
  3. lie — to recline
  4. stock — shares
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. spring — of water
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. stock — goods
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wake — a trail
  22. spring — the season
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. ground — the earth

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