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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. saw — the tool
  3. ground — a position
  4. saw — the tool
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. ground — crushed
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — in a race
  11. board — to get on
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. board — a committee
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. content — happy
  17. race — humankind
  18. race — the arms race
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. race — a contest
  23. content — the amount
  24. wound — an injury

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