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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. toast — bread
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. tube — a container
  6. wound — an injury
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. ground — the earth
  11. clip — a video
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. clip — to cut
  15. tube — the underground
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. ground — a position
  23. clip — for paper
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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