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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  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. ball — a dance
  2. tear — from crying
  3. ground — crushed
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. ground — a position
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. stock — shares
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. tear — to rip
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — goods
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. ball — a great time
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — music
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  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