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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — a position
  3. shower — rain
  4. ground — the earth
  5. mug — to rob
  6. shower — to wash
  7. track — a song
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bound — obliged
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. mug — a face
  12. content — the amount
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bound — certain
  15. track — a path
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. content — happy
  20. bound — tied together
  21. mug — a cup
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. ruler — for measuring

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