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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. ground — a position
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. roll — a cake
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. mine — for digging
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. roll — a list
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — in football
  15. ground — the earth
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bat — the animal
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. stand — to bear

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