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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. pit — in a race
  3. ground — a position
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bear — the animal
  10. rash — a series
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. rash — hasty
  14. pit — a hole
  15. game — wild animals
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. game — a match
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to click
  20. bear — the animal
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bark — to shout

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