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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. net — in sport
  3. cue — for pool
  4. pit — a hole
  5. ground — a position
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. season — of the year
  9. net — after costs
  10. cue — a signal
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. cue — a hint
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. pop — to visit
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pop — soda
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. pit — in a race
  20. season — in sport
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. pop — music
  23. ground — the earth
  24. net — for catching

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