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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. mark — a grade
  3. pit — in a race
  4. clip — to cut
  5. cap — a hat
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. cap — of ice
  8. drill — army training
  9. mark — a trace
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. clip — a video
  13. drill — the tool
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cap — a lid
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. drill — a practice
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — the fruit
  22. clip — for paper
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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