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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 120 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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. ground — crushed
  3. pit — a hole
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. present — the time now
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — low music
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. squash — the sport
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — there
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. ground — a position
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. bat — the animal
  22. mine — for digging
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. mine — belonging to me

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