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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. object — a thing
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bulb — for light
  5. rule — a law
  6. chest — of your body
  7. scale — size or range
  8. spell — magic
  9. object — an aim
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. chest — a box
  13. object — to protest
  14. ground — a position
  15. spell — letters
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. rule — government
  18. scale — in music
  19. ground — the earth
  20. spell — a short time
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. chest — of your body

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