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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. toast — bread
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. staff — employees
  5. ground — the earth
  6. spring — a coil
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. staff — employees
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. spring — of water
  12. pit — a hole
  13. present — the time now
  14. staff — a stick
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. present — there
  17. ground — a position
  18. pit — in a race
  19. ground — crushed
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. saw — the tool
  23. present — a gift
  24. spring — the season

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