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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. craft — boats
  3. shower — rain
  4. rock — a stone
  5. season — of the year
  6. rock — music
  7. pop — music
  8. ground — a position
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. shower — to wash
  12. pop — soda
  13. ground — the earth
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. pop — to visit
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. craft — a skill
  21. season — in sport
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. craft — a handicraft

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