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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 124 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. ground — the earth
  3. foot — a measure
  4. cap — a hat
  5. mate — to breed
  6. track — a path
  7. shower — to wash
  8. drill — army training
  9. mate — a friend
  10. ground — crushed
  11. cap — a lid
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. ground — a position
  14. present — there
  15. mate — a partner
  16. shower — rain
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. present — the time now
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. drill — a practice
  21. track — to keep track
  22. cap — of ice
  23. present — a gift
  24. drill — the tool

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