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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. current — happening now
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wound — an injury
  7. current — electric
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. current — of water
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bass — low music
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. sharp — clever
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bass — the fish
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. deal — to handle
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. deal — an agreement

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