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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. ground — crushed
  3. wound — an injury
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. track — a path
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. hand — in cards
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. drill — a practice
  21. track — to keep track
  22. wound — an injury
  23. hand — help
  24. drill — army training

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