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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. scale — size or range
  3. plane — a tool
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pit — a hole
  6. spell — magic
  7. key — in music
  8. spell — letters
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. key — the most important part
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. date — the fruit
  15. pit — in a race
  16. snap — to click
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. key — for a lock
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. spell — a short time
  22. scale — in music
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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