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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. row — a line
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. current — happening now
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. current — electric
  14. current — of water
  15. ground — crushed
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. snap — to click
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — of ice
  20. ground — the earth
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. cap — a hat
  24. row — to paddle

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