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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — crushed
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. drill — army training
  6. face — to confront
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. scale — size or range
  12. face — to point toward
  13. drill — a practice
  14. rock — music
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. ground — the earth
  18. wound — an injury
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. drill — the tool
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — in music
  23. wound — an injury
  24. face — part of the head

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