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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 116 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. squash — the sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. file — a line of people
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. file — a document
  9. shower — to wash
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — in sport
  12. snap — to click
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. ground — a position
  17. squash — to crush
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. shower — rain
  23. file — a tool
  24. ground — crushed

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