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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. game — a match
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. firm — a company
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. ground — a position
  8. firm — decided
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bore — to drill
  13. firm — steady
  14. cell — in biology
  15. content — the amount
  16. cell — a phone
  17. ground — the earth
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — in sport
  21. bore — to tire
  22. content — happy
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. season — of the year

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