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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. wind — moving air
  4. ground — the earth
  5. craft — boats
  6. net — for catching
  7. ground — a position
  8. rush — hurry
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. net — after costs
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wind — moving air
  17. net — in sport
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bat — the animal
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. craft — a skill

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