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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. cue — a signal
  3. ground — crushed
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. land — to come down
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a hint
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — a container
  10. dip — to sink
  11. present — there
  12. board — to get on
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. present — a gift
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tear — to rip
  18. present — the time now
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. land — a country
  23. land — ground
  24. ground — the earth

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