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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — crushed
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. fall — to drop
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. fall — the season
  9. shower — rain
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. rash — a series
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. rash — hasty
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. fall — to drop
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bowl — a dish

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