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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 120 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. face — to point toward
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pound — a weight
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. ground — a position
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. key — the most important part
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. rush — hurry
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. key — in music
  16. ground — the earth
  17. row — a line
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. face — to confront
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. key — for a lock
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bowl — a dish

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