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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. game — wild animals
  3. plane — a tool
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — a match
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pit — a hole
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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