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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. game — a match
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. ground — the earth
  8. tube — a container
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. game — wild animals
  13. tube — the underground
  14. firm — steady
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. row — a line
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. firm — a company
  19. row — to paddle
  20. foot — a measure
  21. firm — decided
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. ground — a position

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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