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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. spring — a coil
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. ground — a position
  8. cell — in biology
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. track — a path
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. spring — of water
  16. track — to keep track
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. ground — the earth
  19. lean — thin
  20. spring — the season
  21. track — a song
  22. cell — a phone
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — to bend

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