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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. pit — in a race
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. ground — crushed
  6. drill — army training
  7. drill — the tool
  8. band — a ring
  9. drill — a practice
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pit — a hole
  16. row — a line
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. row — to paddle
  20. band — a music group
  21. ground — a position
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. ground — the earth
  24. wound — an injury

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