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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pop — music
  6. pit — a hole
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pop — soda
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pop — to visit
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — a group
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. club — for dancing
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. ground — a position
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. straw — a straw man

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