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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. season — in sport
  3. ground — a position
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. ground — crushed
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. file — a tool
  10. pound — a weight
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. file — a document
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. season — of the year
  18. file — a line of people
  19. lean — to bend
  20. ground — the earth
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. snap — to click
  23. lean — thin
  24. pound — to hit hard

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