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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  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. pit — a fruit stone
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. object — an aim
  4. clip — to cut
  5. game — a match
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. dip — to sink
  10. bass — low music
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. object — a thing
  13. clip — a video
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. pit — a hole
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. clip — for paper
  18. object — to protest
  19. bass — the fish
  20. pit — in a race
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. fan — a supporter
  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