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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cue — a hint
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. lie — to recline
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. ground — the earth
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. stem — to come from
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cue — for pool
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. ground — a position
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. stem — of a plant

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