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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mug — a face
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — a group
  6. charge — electricity
  7. mug — to rob
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. club — for dancing
  10. charge — a price
  11. prune — to trim
  12. charge — in control
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. mug — a cup
  16. ground — the earth
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wound — an injury
  21. ground — a position
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — for digging

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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