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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. ground — crushed
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. pass — a permit
  6. game — wild animals
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. board — to get on
  10. ground — a position
  11. row — to paddle
  12. pit — a hole
  13. stem — to come from
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. ground — the earth
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. game — a match
  20. board — a committee
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. pit — in a race
  23. row — a line
  24. game — a kind of play

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