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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. shower — rain
  3. ground — crushed
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. chest — of your body
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — in a road
  11. key — the most important part
  12. shower — to wash
  13. key — in music
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. chest — a box
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. staff — employees
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bowl — a football final

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