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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. wind — moving air
  3. perch — the fish
  4. mug — a face
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. deal — to handle
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. race — a contest
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. ground — crushed
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. race — the arms race
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mug — to rob
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mug — a cup
  19. race — humankind
  20. ground — the earth
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wind — moving air
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wind — to turn a key

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