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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. pop — to visit
  4. suit — to fit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. fall — to drop
  8. date — the fruit
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — to wash
  11. suit — clothes
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pop — music
  14. drill — army training
  15. suit — in cards
  16. ground — the earth
  17. fall — the season
  18. drill — the tool
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pop — soda
  21. drill — a practice
  22. pit — in a race
  23. ground — crushed
  24. pit — a hole

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