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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. snap — to click
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bound — obliged
  5. pit — in a race
  6. rest — what's left
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. ground — crushed
  12. rest — a break
  13. cap — of ice
  14. rest — what's left
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. ground — a position
  18. cap — a hat
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. cap — a lid
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. racket — for tennis

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