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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 ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. file — a line of people
  4. ground — the earth
  5. rest — a break
  6. court — for sport
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. squash — the sport
  9. ground — a position
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. court — of a king
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. roll — a list
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. lean — thin
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. court — of law
  19. roll — a cake
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a document
  22. lean — to bend
  23. squash — to crush
  24. hide — animal skin

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