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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. squash — to crush
  6. perch — the fish
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. ball — a great time
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. ball — a dance
  11. key — for a lock
  12. kid — to tease
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. key — in music
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. squash — the sport
  20. ground — a position
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. ground — the earth
  23. key — the most important part
  24. kid — child

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