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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. ground — crushed
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bore — to drill
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. deal — to handle
  8. pit — in a race
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. net — after costs
  12. pop — to visit
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. ground — a position
  15. pop — soda
  16. bore — to tire
  17. pop — music
  18. net — for catching
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. ground — the earth
  24. net — in sport

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