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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. track — a path
  3. charge — electricity
  4. track — to keep track
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — to wash
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. ground — the earth
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. track — a song
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bat — the animal
  14. shower — rain
  15. charge — a price
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. ground — a position
  20. charge — in control
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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