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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 124 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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. ground — a position
  3. club — for golf
  4. hand — help
  5. ground — crushed
  6. pit — in a race
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. press — a publisher
  9. hand — in cards
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — to push
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bear — the animal
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. prune — to trim
  18. shower — rain
  19. club — for dancing
  20. shower — to wash
  21. club — a group
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — to put up with

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