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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. game — a match
  3. hand — help
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bank — of a river
  7. spell — a short time
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bank — for money
  10. hand — in cards
  11. spell — letters
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bank — for money
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pit — a hole
  19. spell — magic
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. game — wild animals
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. game — a kind of play

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