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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 116 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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ball — a great time
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. game — wild animals
  7. ground — a position
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — a series
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. ground — the earth
  15. lean — thin
  16. pitch — completely
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. lean — to bend
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. game — a match
  23. branch — a division
  24. rash — on the skin

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