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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — a position
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — magic
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. pit — a hole
  11. degree — temperature
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. spell — letters
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. plane — a tool
  17. kid — to tease
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. kid — child
  20. ground — crushed
  21. degree — an amount
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. degree — from a university

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