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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. spring — the season
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mug — to rob
  8. spring — of water
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. mug — a face
  13. bulb — for light
  14. ground — the earth
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. fall — the season
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. ground — a position
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bulb — for light
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. spring — a coil
  24. mug — a cup

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