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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. season — in sport
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — crushed
  6. season — of the year
  7. squash — to crush
  8. pit — a hole
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. pit — in a race
  12. snap — to click
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. squash — the sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. key — the most important part
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. key — in music
  24. ground — a position

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