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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pit — in a race
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. chip — to eat
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. deal — to handle
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. chip — for betting
  13. row — a line
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — to get on
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. pit — a hole
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. wind — moving air
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. row — to paddle

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