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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 120 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. ground — a position
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. spring — of water
  6. pound — a weight
  7. ground — crushed
  8. clip — for paper
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mug — to rob
  12. clip — a video
  13. ground — the earth
  14. clip — to cut
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. chair — a leader
  18. mug — a cup
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. mug — a face
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. spring — a coil
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. racket — for tennis

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