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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. spring — of water
  4. clip — to cut
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. ground — crushed
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pass — a permit
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. ball — a dance
  17. dip — to sink
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ground — a position
  21. pit — a hole
  22. spring — the season
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — for paper

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