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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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Word bank
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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: mug · hide · lie · cue · roll · ground · squash · pop

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. pop — music
  3. cue — for pool
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cue — a signal
  6. roll — a cake
  7. ground — crushed
  8. mug — a face
  9. lie — to recline
  10. mug — a cup
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. pop — to visit
  14. squash — to crush
  15. mug — to rob
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. cue — a hint
  18. roll — a list
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. squash — the sport
  22. ground — the earth
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. pop — soda

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