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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. spring — of water
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. mate — a partner
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — size or range
  12. mate — to breed
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. pit — a hole
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. game — a match
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. mate — a friend
  21. scale — in music
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. pit — in a race
  24. game — wild animals

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