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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. rest — a break
  3. saw — the tool
  4. firm — a company
  5. wound — an injury
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pit — in a race
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. firm — decided
  12. land — a country
  13. pit — a hole
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. land — ground
  16. sharp — clever
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — after costs
  19. rest — what's left
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rest — what's left
  22. net — for catching
  23. land — to come down
  24. firm — steady

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