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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — to crush
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. kick — in football
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mine — for digging
  10. ground — the earth
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. club — for dancing
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. club — a group
  18. current — happening now
  19. club — for golf
  20. current — electric
  21. ground — a position
  22. current — of water
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. kick — with a leg

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