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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. squash — the sport
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. tear — from crying
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. tear — to rip
  12. rash — hasty
  13. ground — the earth
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bark — to shout
  16. rash — a series
  17. tear — from crying
  18. ball — a dance
  19. game — a match
  20. game — wild animals
  21. ground — a position
  22. ball — a great time
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. mouse — the animal

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