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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. ground — crushed
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. mine — for digging
  6. pop — music
  7. mark — a trace
  8. ground — the earth
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. pop — soda
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bore — to tire
  13. ground — a position
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bore — to drill
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mark — a grade
  18. cap — of ice
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. pop — to visit
  21. wound — an injury
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a committee
  24. bore — gave birth

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