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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. fine — high quality
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. fine — all right
  9. roll — a cake
  10. pitch — completely
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. current — of water
  14. wax — to grow
  15. ground — the earth
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. ground — a position
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — to crush
  21. dip — to sink
  22. current — electric
  23. roll — a list
  24. current — happening now

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