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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. spring — the season
  4. cap — of ice
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. spring — of water
  7. cap — a lid
  8. pit — a hole
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pit — in a race
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. spring — a coil
  17. band — a music group
  18. saw — the tool
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. cap — a hat
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. band — a ring
  23. sharp — clever
  24. saw — the tool

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