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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. ground — crushed
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. spring — the season
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. board — to get on
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. rule — a law
  12. perch — the fish
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. spring — a coil
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rule — government
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. ground — the earth
  19. board — a committee
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. ground — a position
  23. wound — an injury
  24. board — a flat piece

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