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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. net — in sport
  5. rock — a stone
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rock — music
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. shower — rain
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rule — a law
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. ground — crushed
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. wound — an injury
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. rule — government
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. ground — the earth
  23. snap — to click
  24. shower — to wash

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