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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — a match
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. rest — a break
  8. clip — for paper
  9. lean — thin
  10. ground — a position
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. game — wild animals
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. rest — what's left
  18. clip — a video
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. rock — a stone
  21. clip — to cut
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — to move gently

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