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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. pop — music
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. face — to confront
  7. ground — crushed
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. ground — the earth
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — to cut
  13. drill — the tool
  14. file — a document
  15. clip — a video
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a tool
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — part of the head
  20. drill — army training
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bat — the animal
  24. safe — out of danger

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