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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. wind — moving air
  3. toast — bread
  4. ground — the earth
  5. wind — moving air
  6. ball — a dance
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rash — a series
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. shower — rain
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. shower — to wash
  20. rash — hasty
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. ball — a great time
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. ground — a position

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