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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ground — a position
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. ground — the earth
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. ball — a dance
  12. file — a line of people
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a tool
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. degree — from a university
  20. prune — to trim
  21. content — the amount
  22. degree — temperature
  23. content — happy
  24. prune — to trim

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