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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  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. mug — a face
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. ground — the earth
  6. stand — to bear
  7. ground — a position
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — a group
  11. squash — the sport
  12. mug — a cup
  13. pit — in a race
  14. mug — to rob
  15. ground — crushed
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a line
  19. club — for dancing
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — a tool
  23. pit — a hole
  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