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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. ball — a great time
  3. date — the fruit
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — wild animals
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. chair — a leader
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. game — a match
  11. pit — a hole
  12. ball — a dance
  13. plane — a tool
  14. pit — in a race
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — a part of something

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