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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — a hole
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. object — a thing
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. object — an aim
  7. mate — a partner
  8. charge — in control
  9. land — a country
  10. land — ground
  11. charge — electricity
  12. mate — to breed
  13. squash — to crush
  14. object — to protest
  15. land — to come down
  16. pit — in a race
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mate — a friend
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. squash — the sport
  23. charge — a price
  24. bear — the animal

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