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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 116 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mark — a trace
  4. pass — a permit
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — for catching
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. net — in sport
  12. land — ground
  13. ground — crushed
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. mark — a grade
  17. wind — moving air
  18. land — a country
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. land — to come down
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — in a race
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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