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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. season — in sport
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. present — a gift
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. season — of the year
  11. present — there
  12. ground — crushed
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — an amount
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. degree — temperature
  17. game — a match
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. ground — the earth
  20. present — the time now
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a kind of play

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