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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  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. band — a music group
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. dip — to sink
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. spring — the season
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. pit — in a race
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. spring — of water
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. spring — a coil
  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