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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. mate — a partner
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — music
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. mate — to breed
  10. roll — a list
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. scale — size or range
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. pit — in a race
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bark — to shout
  19. scale — in music
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. mate — a friend
  24. pit — a hole

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