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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. object — a thing
  9. bore — to drill
  10. squash — to crush
  11. object — to protest
  12. season — of the year
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. squash — the sport
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. object — an aim
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bore — to tire
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. ground — the earth

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