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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. plane — a tool
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mate — a partner
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. current — happening now
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. current — of water
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. current — electric
  16. rash — a series
  17. deal — to handle
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. mate — a friend
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. mate — to breed
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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