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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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. mug — a face
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. rule — government
  6. file — a tool
  7. staff — employees
  8. plane — a tool
  9. file — a document
  10. pit — in a race
  11. drill — army training
  12. staff — employees
  13. drill — the tool
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mug — to rob
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. drill — a practice
  18. rule — a law
  19. file — a line of people
  20. staff — a stick
  21. mug — a cup
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. rule — to rule out

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