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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. ground — the earth
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. hand — in cards
  11. cell — in biology
  12. ground — a position
  13. current — happening now
  14. fine — all right
  15. hand — help
  16. current — electric
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. cell — a phone
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. fine — high quality
  21. dip — to sink
  22. lie — to recline
  23. wax — to grow
  24. current — of water

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