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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pass — a permit
  3. game — a match
  4. perch — the fish
  5. pit — in a race
  6. face — to point toward
  7. ground — crushed
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bound — certain
  10. ground — the earth
  11. face — part of the head
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bound — tied together
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pit — a hole
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bound — obliged
  21. ground — a position
  22. hand — help
  23. face — to confront
  24. hand — in cards

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