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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. ground — crushed
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. cell — a phone
  7. mine — for digging
  8. ground — the earth
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. fork — in a road
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. ground — a position
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. pop — to visit
  17. wake — a trail
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pop — music
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. pop — soda

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