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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — crushed
  3. squash — the sport
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. net — after costs
  10. stock — shares
  11. cap — of ice
  12. net — in sport
  13. cap — a lid
  14. ground — a position
  15. squash — to crush
  16. net — for catching
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. mine — for digging
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. snap — to click
  21. cap — a hat
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. stock — goods

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