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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — the earth
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. rest — a break
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. pound — a weight
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rest — what's left
  11. perch — the fish
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. ground — a position
  14. stock — shares
  15. file — a line of people
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stock — goods
  22. file — a document
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. file — a tool

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