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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. rash — a series
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bank — for money
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bank — of a river
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bank — for money
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. rock — music
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. rash — hasty
  19. field — for sport
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. lean — thin
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. lean — to bend
  24. ground — a position

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