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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. pop — soda
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. ground — crushed
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. ground — the earth
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pop — music
  10. row — a line
  11. chip — for betting
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. swing — to play on
  16. last — final
  17. last — finally
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — in golf
  20. ground — a position
  21. pop — to visit
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — to eat
  24. last — to go on

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