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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 120 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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. court — of law
  4. pit — a hole
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pit — in a race
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wound — an injury
  14. ground — the earth
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bass — low music
  17. ground — a position
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bass — the fish
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bass — the instrument

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