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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. ground — a position
  3. stand — to bear
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a dance
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. drill — the tool
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. pop — music
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — the cause
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ground — crushed
  17. drill — army training
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. drill — a practice
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pop — soda
  22. root — of a plant
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pop — to visit

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