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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 120 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — crushed
  4. spring — the season
  5. suit — to fit
  6. ground — the earth
  7. spring — a coil
  8. wax — to grow
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. degree — from a university
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. degree — an amount
  14. suit — in cards
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. degree — temperature
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. suit — clothes
  21. spring — of water
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bat — the animal
  24. pass — to succeed

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