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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — a position
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bat — the animal
  5. lean — thin
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. swing — in golf
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. swing — to play on
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. wound — an injury
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. lean — to bend
  14. swing — music
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. chip — to eat
  18. ground — crushed
  19. chip — for betting
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bat — in an idiom

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