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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. shower — to wash
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. squash — to crush
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. face — to confront
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. shower — rain
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — part of the head
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. roll — a list
  18. roll — a cake
  19. ground — a position
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. squash — the sport
  23. ground — the earth
  24. fan — a supporter

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