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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — a position
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. mug — to rob
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. ground — crushed
  7. march — the month
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. march — music
  13. fork — in a road
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. snap — to click
  18. mug — a cup
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. march — the month
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mug — a face

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