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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. pit — in a race
  3. squash — the sport
  4. file — a tool
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. ground — the earth
  8. file — a document
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. ground — a position
  12. pit — a hole
  13. scale — in music
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. ground — crushed
  17. present — a gift
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. present — there
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. file — a line of people
  23. present — the time now
  24. squash — to crush

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