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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. pop — music
  3. ground — crushed
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bark — to shout
  6. roll — a list
  7. firm — a company
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. ground — a position
  10. race — humankind
  11. roll — a cake
  12. firm — steady
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. shower — rain
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — to visit
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. race — a contest
  22. firm — decided
  23. race — the arms race
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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