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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. shower — rain
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. ground — a position
  6. season — of the year
  7. pit — in a race
  8. march — music
  9. shower — to wash
  10. rest — a break
  11. season — in sport
  12. bass — low music
  13. ground — the earth
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. ground — crushed
  16. rest — what's left
  17. march — the month
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pit — a hole
  23. rest — what's left
  24. march — the month

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