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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. ground — a position
  3. wound — an injury
  4. face — part of the head
  5. ground — crushed
  6. land — ground
  7. ground — the earth
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. land — a country
  10. ball — a great time
  11. face — to confront
  12. pit — a hole
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. wound — an injury
  18. face — to point toward
  19. ball — a dance
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — a dish

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