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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  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. rock — music
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — a position
  4. spell — magic
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. lie — to recline
  7. spell — letters
  8. mark — a trace
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mark — a grade
  13. lean — to bend
  14. spell — a short time
  15. tear — from crying
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. ground — the earth
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. lean — thin
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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