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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  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 — crushed
  2. fall — the season
  3. cell — in biology
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a document
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. pit — a hole
  8. last — finally
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — a position
  11. key — in music
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. file — a tool
  15. pit — in a race
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. fall — to drop
  21. last — final
  22. fall — to drop
  23. last — to go on
  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