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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. pass — a permit
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pit — in a race
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. court — of law
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. ground — the earth
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. court — for sport
  15. pit — a hole
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. court — of a king
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — in sport
  24. nail — for a hammer

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