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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. row — a line
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. mark — a trace
  6. ground — the earth
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. rest — what's left
  9. row — to paddle
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. key — in music
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. key — for a lock
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. wound — an injury
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mark — a grade
  23. key — the most important part
  24. ground — a position

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