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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. roll — a list
  3. swing — in golf
  4. pit — a hole
  5. rash — a series
  6. roll — a cake
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. ground — a position
  9. swing — to play on
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. swing — music
  12. rash — hasty
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ground — the earth
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. ball — a great time
  21. pit — in a race
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. roll — on a roll

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