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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. ball — a great time
  3. present — a gift
  4. pit — in a race
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. ground — the earth
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. hand — help
  13. ground — a position
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. present — there
  18. ground — crushed
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. present — the time now
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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