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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 120 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. game — wild animals
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. land — to come down
  5. pit — in a race
  6. ground — crushed
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ground — a position
  9. land — ground
  10. bear — the animal
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — the tool
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bear — the animal
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — a match
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. ground — the earth
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. land — a country
  23. drill — army training
  24. pit — a hole

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