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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 120 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. ground — the earth
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. pit — in a race
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. ground — crushed
  8. object — an aim
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. ground — a position
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. mine — for digging
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. object — to protest
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. object — a thing
  24. wake — a trail

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