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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. sharp — clever
  3. ground — the earth
  4. pit — in a race
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — the fruit
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — temperature
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. pop — to visit
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. pit — a hole
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. ground — a position
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. degree — from a university
  20. game — wild animals
  21. pop — music
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pop — soda
  24. game — a match

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