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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. charge — in control
  5. current — electric
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. ground — the earth
  9. spring — a coil
  10. shower — to wash
  11. spring — the season
  12. ground — a position
  13. charge — a price
  14. roll — a cake
  15. bat — the animal
  16. spring — of water
  17. shower — rain
  18. roll — a list
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. current — happening now
  22. charge — electricity
  23. current — of water
  24. hide — animal skin

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