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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. squash — to crush
  3. track — a path
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. snap — to click
  6. track — to keep track
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — a short time
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. squash — the sport
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. spell — magic
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. ground — the earth
  19. track — a song
  20. suit — to fit
  21. suit — clothes
  22. ground — a position
  23. suit — in cards
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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