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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 120 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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — in a race
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. game — wild animals
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. squash — the sport
  9. staff — a stick
  10. squash — to crush
  11. fall — the season
  12. row — to paddle
  13. fall — to drop
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. staff — employees
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. staff — employees
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. game — a match
  20. row — a line
  21. fork — in a road
  22. vault — a safe
  23. pit — a hole
  24. fall — to drop

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