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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. march — music
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. pit — in a race
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. march — the month
  13. stem — to come from
  14. shower — rain
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. key — in music
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. march — the month
  22. shower — to wash
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pit — a hole

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