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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.

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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. scale — in music
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. hand — in cards
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. rush — hurry
  10. squash — the sport
  11. hand — help
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. current — electric
  14. bass — low music
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — of water
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bass — the fish
  19. pit — in a race
  20. wax — to grow
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. squash — to crush
  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