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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bore — to drill
  5. ground — the earth
  6. mug — a face
  7. ground — a position
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — to cut
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. season — of the year
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. ground — crushed
  15. clip — a video
  16. mug — to rob
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bore — to tire
  21. season — in sport
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. pit — in a race

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