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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — the earth
  3. branch — a division
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. key — for a lock
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. scale — size or range
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. ground — a position
  16. kick — in football
  17. key — the most important part
  18. scale — in music
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. key — in music
  24. wave — of the sea

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