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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. ground — a position
  4. ball — a dance
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. ground — crushed
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. perch — the fish
  9. content — the amount
  10. plane — a tool
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. race — a contest
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. content — happy
  15. bass — the fish
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bass — low music
  20. race — humankind
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. ball — a great time
  23. sharp — clever
  24. plane — an aircraft

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