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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. cold — an illness
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. rock — a stone
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a path
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bass — low music
  11. rock — music
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bear — the animal
  14. track — a song
  15. ground — a position
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bass — the fish
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mark — a grade
  21. cold — not warm
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — to put up with

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