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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. ground — a position
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. scale — in music
  9. race — humankind
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. race — the arms race
  13. scale — size or range
  14. race — a contest
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. wound — an injury
  18. ground — the earth
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wound — an injury
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. ground — crushed

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