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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. dip — to sink
  10. spell — magic
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. pit — in a race
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — letters
  15. rock — a stone
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. craft — boats
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pit — a hole
  21. saw — the tool
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. craft — a skill
  24. rock — music

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