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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pit — a hole
  4. net — for catching
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. ground — a position
  7. pop — music
  8. ground — the earth
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. last — finally
  13. pop — soda
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. last — to go on
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ground — crushed
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. last — final
  20. pit — in a race
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. hide — to keep secret

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