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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · chair · prune · pop · ground · bass · mate · object

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mate — to breed
  4. ground — a position
  5. mate — a friend
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — in a race
  8. prune — to trim
  9. object — to protest
  10. mate — a partner
  11. pop — soda
  12. bass — the fish
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. pop — to visit
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — low music
  20. object — an aim
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. object — a thing
  23. pop — music
  24. pit — a hole

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