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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. ground — a position
  4. bass — the fish
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. prune — to trim
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. cold — not warm
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bore — to drill
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bore — to tire
  18. ground — crushed
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pass — a permit
  21. bass — low music
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. racket — a loud noise

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