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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. fine — all right
  4. tube — a container
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. ground — the earth
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. current — happening now
  10. present — the time now
  11. ground — a position
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. present — a gift
  15. current — of water
  16. wound — an injury
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. current — electric
  20. tube — the underground
  21. present — there
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. ground — crushed
  24. nail — on a finger

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