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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. club — a group
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. saw — the tool
  7. face — to point toward
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. face — to confront
  11. club — for dancing
  12. snap — to click
  13. ground — the earth
  14. sharp — clever
  15. face — part of the head
  16. kid — child
  17. club — for golf
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. kid — to tease
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. ground — a position
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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