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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 116 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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. court — of law
  4. bass — low music
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. object — to protest
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — the fish
  9. court — of a king
  10. plane — a tool
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. court — for sport
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. pit — a hole
  16. object — an aim
  17. cold — an illness
  18. object — a thing
  19. ground — a position
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. cold — not warm
  24. plane — an aircraft

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