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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. pass — a permit
  7. ground — a position
  8. field — a subject
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — for digging
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — to play on
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. rash — a series
  16. fine — high quality
  17. swing — in golf
  18. snap — to click
  19. fine — all right
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. ground — the earth
  22. field — for sport
  23. rash — hasty
  24. field — farmland

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