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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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. net — for catching
  4. branch — a division
  5. mate — a partner
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. mate — to breed
  9. present — there
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. net — in sport
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. net — after costs
  14. pit — in a race
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. present — the time now
  20. cell — a phone
  21. mate — a friend
  22. present — a gift
  23. cell — in biology
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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