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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. mark — a trace
  3. ground — a position
  4. drill — the tool
  5. face — part of the head
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. rash — a series
  8. degree — an amount
  9. face — to point toward
  10. hand — help
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — a practice
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. face — to confront
  15. mark — a grade
  16. degree — temperature
  17. ground — the earth
  18. degree — from a university
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. rash — hasty
  22. hand — in cards
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. racket — a loud noise

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