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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. object — an aim
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. ground — a position
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. tube — the underground
  8. degree — from a university
  9. rash — a series
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. rash — hasty
  12. degree — temperature
  13. tube — a container
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. ground — the earth
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. lie — to recline
  18. object — a thing
  19. object — to protest
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. degree — an amount

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