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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — a position
  3. clip — to cut
  4. pound — a weight
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. file — a line of people
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. clip — a video
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. file — a document
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. ground — the earth
  15. mark — a grade
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. clip — for paper
  19. mark — a trace
  20. file — a tool
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. mark — to pay attention

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