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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. hand — help
  4. march — music
  5. last — finally
  6. plane — a tool
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. fine — high quality
  9. pit — in a race
  10. last — to go on
  11. pass — a permit
  12. hand — in cards
  13. dip — to sink
  14. march — the month
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. last — final
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. march — the month
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. fine — all right
  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