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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. club — for dancing
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. club — a group
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — a position
  7. last — to go on
  8. club — for golf
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. can — to be able to
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. ground — crushed
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. pit — a hole
  20. last — final
  21. season — of the year
  22. pit — in a race
  23. season — in sport
  24. mouse — the animal

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