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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. ground — the earth
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — a committee
  8. can — to be able to
  9. board — to get on
  10. net — for catching
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mine — for digging
  13. can — a tin
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. wax — to grow
  16. ground — crushed
  17. can — a tin
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. net — after costs
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. net — in sport
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. fan — a supporter

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