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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pit — in a race
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. track — a song
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. pit — a hole
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. ground — a position
  19. march — music
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. rush — hurry
  23. track — a path
  24. pass — to spend time

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