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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. kick — in football
  6. wake — a trail
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — in a race
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. dip — to sink
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. scale — size or range
  18. fan — a supporter

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