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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.

Make a worksheet

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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. row — to paddle
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pit — in a race
  5. key — the most important part
  6. row — a line
  7. tear — to rip
  8. game — a match
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. key — for a lock
  12. pit — a hole
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. key — in music
  15. game — wild animals
  16. court — of law
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying

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