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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 124 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. ground — crushed
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mate — a partner
  7. row — to paddle
  8. track — a path
  9. track — to keep track
  10. row — a line
  11. shower — to wash
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. track — a song
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. ground — the earth
  20. shower — rain
  21. mate — a friend
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. ground — a position
  24. mate — to breed

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