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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. ground — a position
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. fine — all right
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. swing — to play on
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. pass — a permit
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. ground — the earth
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. sharp — clever
  20. swing — music
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. fine — high quality
  24. swing — in golf

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