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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. ground — a position
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. ground — crushed
  5. game — wild animals
  6. chair — a leader
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. ground — the earth
  9. net — after costs
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. shower — rain
  12. pit — a hole
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. shower — to wash
  15. pit — in a race
  16. bear — the animal
  17. game — a match
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. net — for catching
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. net — in sport
  24. chair — a professorship

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