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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. spring — of water
  5. pit — in a race
  6. cue — a hint
  7. squash — the sport
  8. spring — a coil
  9. cue — for pool
  10. ground — a position
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pit — a hole
  13. cue — a signal
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. rush — hurry
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. spring — the season
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. mark — a trace
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. ground — crushed
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. ground — the earth
  24. squash — to crush

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