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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. mug — to rob
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. spring — the season
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pit — a hole
  7. ground — crushed
  8. spring — a coil
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. mug — a cup
  14. spring — of water
  15. press — newspapers
  16. scale — size or range
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. mug — a face
  19. press — to push
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. scale — in music
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. ground — the earth

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