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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 116 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. season — of the year
  3. ground — the earth
  4. clip — to cut
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — a position
  7. cue — for pool
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. clip — for paper
  10. season — in sport
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cue — a hint
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pop — music
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bat — the animal
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pop — to visit
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. clip — a video
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bat — for baseball

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