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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. pit — in a race
  3. ground — a position
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. dip — to sink
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. ground — crushed
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. game — wild animals
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pit — a hole
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. spring — of water
  19. game — a match
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pass — a permit

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