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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — crushed
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fine — high quality
  6. bark — to shout
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. pop — soda
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. pop — to visit
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. fine — all right
  17. pop — music
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. mark — a grade
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mark — a trace
  23. fan — a supporter
  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