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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. ground — crushed
  4. current — of water
  5. ground — the earth
  6. file — a line of people
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. current — happening now
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. plane — a tool
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. file — a tool
  17. prune — to trim
  18. current — electric
  19. file — a document
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. ground — a position

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