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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: nail · deal · ground · straw · march · fan · dip · season

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. ground — a position
  8. season — in sport
  9. march — the month
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. deal — to handle
  14. ground — the earth
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. season — of the year
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to sink
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. fan — a supporter

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