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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. ground — crushed
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. fine — high quality
  7. firm — steady
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. ball — a dance
  14. firm — a company
  15. fine — all right
  16. band — a ring
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. firm — decided
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ball — a great time
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. wound — an injury

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