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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — a position
  3. last — final
  4. land — to come down
  5. perch — the fish
  6. foot — a measure
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. last — finally
  9. pit — a hole
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. pound — a weight
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. land — ground
  14. last — to go on
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. ground — the earth
  21. land — a country
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pound — to hit hard

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