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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. ground — a position
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pit — a hole
  5. ground — the earth
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a line of people
  8. ground — crushed
  9. pit — in a race
  10. file — a document
  11. mug — a face
  12. spring — a coil
  13. saw — the tool
  14. spring — of water
  15. mug — to rob
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. spring — the season
  18. mug — a cup

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