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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. board — a committee
  4. lie — to recline
  5. saw — the tool
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ground — a position
  14. spring — a coil
  15. march — the month
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — the season
  20. march — music
  21. board — to get on
  22. march — the month
  23. ground — the earth
  24. lie — an untruth

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