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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. ground — a position
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. cue — a hint
  8. wake — a trail
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. cue — for pool
  11. ground — the earth
  12. squash — the sport
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. ground — crushed
  18. saw — the tool
  19. squash — to crush
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cue — a signal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. squash — the vegetable

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