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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 120 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. saw — the tool
  3. cold — an illness
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. saw — the tool
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — low music
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. bulb — for light
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. ground — a position
  18. race — humankind
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. dip — to sink
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cold — not warm
  23. ground — the earth
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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