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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 124 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — crushed
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — letters
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bore — to drill
  7. roll — a cake
  8. club — for dancing
  9. ground — a position
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bore — to tire
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cap — a lid
  17. roll — a list
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. pass — a permit
  22. club — for golf
  23. club — a group
  24. spell — a short time

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