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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. ground — a position
  5. suit — in cards
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. suit — to fit
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. band — a music group
  11. saw — the tool
  12. suit — clothes
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ground — the earth
  17. cold — not warm
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. cold — an illness
  20. saw — the tool
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. band — a ring
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. ruler — a monarch

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