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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. rash — hasty
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. swing — in golf
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. spell — letters
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. rash — a series
  12. spell — magic
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pass — a permit
  15. cell — in biology
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. cell — a phone
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. swing — to play on
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pit — in a race
  22. spell — a short time
  23. swing — music
  24. pit — a hole

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