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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  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. ground — crushed
  2. charge — in control
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — a country
  5. plane — a tool
  6. clip — for paper
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bass — the fish
  14. land — ground
  15. ground — a position
  16. clip — to cut
  17. charge — electricity
  18. bass — low music
  19. clip — a video
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. charge — a price
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. game — a match
  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