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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. present — a gift
  5. ground — a position
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. pit — a hole
  8. chair — a leader
  9. present — the time now
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. stock — shares
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. stock — goods
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. present — there
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — in golf
  24. wax — to grow

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