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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 120 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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. cell — a phone
  3. ground — the earth
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. ground — crushed
  8. court — for sport
  9. mug — a face
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. ground — a position
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. plane — a tool
  17. court — of law
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. court — of a king
  20. mug — to rob
  21. cell — in biology
  22. mug — a cup
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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