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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. mine — for digging
  3. track — a path
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. shower — rain
  6. pass — a permit
  7. shower — to wash
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pit — a hole
  11. lean — to bend
  12. pit — in a race
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. track — a song
  23. track — to keep track
  24. lean — thin

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