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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. wound — an injury
  4. ball — a dance
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. band — a ring
  10. ball — a great time
  11. lean — thin
  12. pit — a hole
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pit — in a race
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. lean — to bend
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. roll — a cake
  22. can — to be able to
  23. roll — a list
  24. wind — moving air

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