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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. pop — music
  3. band — a ring
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pop — to visit
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. ground — a position
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. ground — the earth
  14. pop — soda
  15. bulb — for light
  16. capital — money
  17. pit — a hole
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. bulb — for light
  21. fork — in a road
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. band — a music group
  24. capital — a city

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