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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bass — low music
  6. mug — to rob
  7. ground — a position
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. cap — a hat
  11. wound — an injury
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. bass — the fish
  14. mug — a cup
  15. roll — a list
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. mug — a face
  18. roll — a cake
  19. chair — a leader
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. cap — a lid
  23. ground — crushed
  24. cap — of ice

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