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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. pit — in a race
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — clever
  6. charge — electricity
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. charge — a price
  9. track — a song
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. ball — a dance
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. track — to keep track
  15. charge — in control
  16. track — a path
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. ball — a great time
  19. pit — a hole
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. ground — crushed
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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