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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. last — to go on
  5. march — music
  6. current — of water
  7. last — finally
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. ground — the earth
  10. key — in music
  11. ground — a position
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. march — the month
  14. last — final
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. lean — thin
  18. key — the most important part
  19. current — happening now
  20. key — for a lock
  21. current — electric
  22. lean — to bend
  23. march — the month
  24. shower — rain

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