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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 116 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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rash — hasty
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. rash — a series
  8. face — part of the head
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. saw — the tool
  14. face — to confront
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — crushed
  18. saw — the tool
  19. perch — the fish
  20. chair — a leader
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. face — to point toward

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