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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 120 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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. land — ground
  3. ground — the earth
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. land — to come down
  6. cue — for pool
  7. hand — help
  8. spell — letters
  9. rest — a break
  10. spell — a short time
  11. rest — what's left
  12. hand — in cards
  13. spell — magic
  14. cue — a hint
  15. board — a committee
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. board — to get on
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — to come from
  21. land — a country
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cue — a signal
  24. ground — a position

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