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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. present — there
  3. object — to protest
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. present — the time now
  6. ground — the earth
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the sport
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. present — a gift
  13. march — the month
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. chest — a box
  16. ground — a position
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — an aim
  19. chest — of your body
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wave — with your hand

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