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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 116 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. wound — an injury
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. wound — an injury
  7. charge — electricity
  8. ground — a position
  9. tube — the underground
  10. charge — a price
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. land — a country
  13. field — farmland
  14. charge — in control
  15. field — a subject
  16. lie — to recline
  17. land — ground
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. field — for sport
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. tube — a container
  23. snap — to click
  24. tube — in a tire

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