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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. mate — a friend
  4. object — a thing
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. ground — a position
  8. mate — to breed
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. pit — a hole
  11. mate — a partner
  12. squash — the sport
  13. kid — to tease
  14. ground — crushed
  15. court — for sport
  16. ground — the earth
  17. pit — in a race
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — of law
  20. plane — a tool
  21. object — to protest
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — child

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