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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. roll — a cake
  7. dip — to sink
  8. object — an aim
  9. object — a thing
  10. ground — a position
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. ball — a great time
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. ground — the earth
  15. object — to protest
  16. mine — for digging
  17. roll — a list
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. ball — a dance
  21. pound — a weight
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. ball — a round shape

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