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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. fine — high quality
  3. land — to come down
  4. pop — music
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. track — a song
  7. ground — crushed
  8. lean — to bend
  9. foot — a measure
  10. track — to keep track
  11. lean — thin
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. land — ground
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pop — soda
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. track — a path
  19. row — to paddle
  20. ground — a position
  21. row — a line
  22. fine — all right
  23. pop — to visit
  24. land — a country

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