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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 124 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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. wound — an injury
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. ground — the earth
  5. roll — a list
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. cap — a lid
  9. wound — an injury
  10. hand — help
  11. cap — a hat
  12. chip — for betting
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. hand — in cards
  15. ground — crushed
  16. cap — of ice
  17. rock — music
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. rock — a stone
  21. chip — to eat
  22. ground — a position
  23. snap — to click
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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