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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. game — wild animals
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. ground — crushed
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. file — a tool
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. plane — a tool
  9. court — for sport
  10. pit — in a race
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — the earth
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. deal — to handle
  15. court — of a king
  16. file — a line of people
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. game — a match
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. court — of law
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. file — a document
  24. wave — of the sea

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