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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. net — in sport
  5. rush — hurry
  6. net — for catching
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. pit — in a race
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. net — after costs
  12. band — a music group
  13. chip — for betting
  14. perch — the fish
  15. band — a ring
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. chip — to eat
  21. pit — a hole
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. mouse — for a computer

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