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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 116 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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. squash — to crush
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. land — a country
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. season — of the year
  10. swing — to play on
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. scale — size or range
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. swing — in golf
  15. mine — for digging
  16. land — to come down
  17. swing — music
  18. squash — the sport
  19. season — in sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a hole
  24. land — ground

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