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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. court — for sport
  4. ground — a position
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. snap — to click
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. staff — employees
  9. court — of law
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pass — a permit
  12. staff — a stick
  13. squash — to crush
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. staff — employees
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. squash — the sport
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. court — of a king
  23. ground — the earth
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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