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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. rest — a break
  5. cold — not warm
  6. fine — all right
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — the earth
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — high quality
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. ground — a position
  15. rest — what's left
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. pit — in a race
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. bat — the animal
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pit — a hole

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