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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. tube — a container
  3. swing — to play on
  4. pit — a hole
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cold — an illness
  8. tube — the underground
  9. firm — decided
  10. firm — steady
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. can — to be able to
  13. pit — in a race
  14. firm — a company
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. perch — the fish
  17. swing — in golf
  18. cold — not warm
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. can — a tin
  21. saw — the tool
  22. can — a tin
  23. swing — music
  24. tube — in a tire

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