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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. net — in sport
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. net — for catching
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pit — in a race
  10. degree — from a university
  11. track — a path
  12. degree — temperature
  13. mine — for digging
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. mark — a trace
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. pit — a hole
  19. file — a tool
  20. degree — an amount
  21. net — after costs
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — to pay attention

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