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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. can — to be able to
  5. current — happening now
  6. game — a match
  7. drill — a practice
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. drill — the tool
  11. current — of water
  12. bulb — for light
  13. lie — to recline
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bulb — for light
  16. can — a tin
  17. drill — army training
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. ground — a position
  20. can — a tin
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. current — electric
  24. game — wild animals

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