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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. sharp — clever
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. pit — a hole
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. clip — to cut
  9. ball — a dance
  10. mark — a trace
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — a video
  13. pit — in a race
  14. can — a tin
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. can — a tin
  19. wake — a trail
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. ball — a great time
  24. mark — a grade

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