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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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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: last · branch · pit · snap · ground · court · dip · mine

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. pit — in a race
  3. mine — for digging
  4. court — of law
  5. ground — crushed
  6. dip — to sink
  7. ground — the earth
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. court — of a king
  11. pit — a hole
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. ground — a position
  14. snap — to click
  15. last — final
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — finally
  19. court — for sport
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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