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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. perch — the fish
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. file — a tool
  6. craft — boats
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. file — a document
  11. craft — a skill
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. file — a line of people
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. pit — in a race
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pit — a hole
  21. bat — the animal
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. perch — for a bird

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