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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. shower — rain
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. ground — crushed
  6. cap — of ice
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. pit — in a race
  10. bound — certain
  11. bass — low music
  12. cap — a hat
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bound — tied together
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bound — obliged
  19. cap — a lid
  20. ground — the earth
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. pit — a hole
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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