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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pop — music
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. land — a country
  6. dip — to sink
  7. pop — to visit
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. land — ground
  11. pop — soda
  12. ground — the earth
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. ground — crushed
  15. march — the month
  16. pit — in a race
  17. land — to come down
  18. ground — a position
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — clever
  22. pit — a hole
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to dunk

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