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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. sharp — clever
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. hand — help
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bear — the animal
  10. last — final
  11. hand — in cards
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. tear — to rip
  14. last — to go on
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. bear — the animal
  17. last — finally
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. toast — bread
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. straw — a straw man

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