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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. pit — in a race
  12. wound — an injury
  13. ground — crushed
  14. chip — for betting
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. stand — to bear
  18. pit — a hole
  19. bat — the animal
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bulb — for light
  24. ground — the earth

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