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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. roll — a list
  5. ground — a position
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — a stone
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bat — the animal
  10. last — final
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. scale — in music
  16. last — finally
  17. rock — music
  18. last — to go on
  19. scale — size or range
  20. cell — in biology
  21. board — a committee
  22. cell — a phone
  23. roll — a cake
  24. ground — crushed

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