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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — in biology
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mark — a grade
  6. spring — the season
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. field — for sport
  9. ground — crushed
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. ground — a position
  12. field — a subject
  13. mark — a trace
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. spring — of water
  16. cell — a phone
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. spring — a coil
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. field — farmland
  24. dip — to sink

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