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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. ground — crushed
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. last — final
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. mug — a face
  8. lie — to recline
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. last — to go on
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cell — a phone
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — a position
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mug — to rob
  23. last — finally
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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