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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  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. game — wild animals
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. game — a match
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. hand — help
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. hand — in cards
  11. saw — the tool
  12. ground — crushed
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. key — in music
  15. saw — the tool
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — the most important part
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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