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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. staff — a stick
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — a position
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stem — to come from
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. squash — to crush
  16. staff — employees
  17. content — happy
  18. squash — the sport
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. saw — the tool
  22. staff — employees
  23. wind — moving air
  24. content — the 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