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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — the earth
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — clever
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. game — a match
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. game — wild animals
  16. toast — bread
  17. ground — a position
  18. bass — low music
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bass — the fish
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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