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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. squash — to crush
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. stand — to bear
  8. squash — the sport
  9. degree — temperature
  10. ground — the earth
  11. shower — rain
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. mine — for digging
  14. ground — a position
  15. shower — to wash
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — from a university
  24. stand — on your feet

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