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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. file — a tool
  3. fine — high quality
  4. deal — to handle
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — to wash
  7. rash — hasty
  8. fine — all right
  9. ground — crushed
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. ground — a position
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. cell — in biology
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. cell — a phone
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. pitch — completely
  23. rash — a series
  24. cell — in a prison

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