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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. hand — in cards
  3. can — a tin
  4. row — a line
  5. rash — a series
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. can — to be able to
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — in a race
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. row — to paddle
  12. rash — hasty
  13. scale — in music
  14. pop — soda
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — a position
  17. hand — help
  18. can — a tin
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. pop — music
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. scale — size or range
  23. ground — crushed
  24. pop — to visit

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