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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. root — of a plant
  3. hand — help
  4. cue — for pool
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. ground — the earth
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. season — of the year
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bass — low music
  11. hand — in cards
  12. cue — a hint
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. cue — a signal
  16. ground — crushed
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — the cause
  21. season — in sport
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bat — the animal
  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