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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 120 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bass — low music
  4. rest — what's left
  5. board — a committee
  6. kid — child
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. mate — a friend
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. spring — the season
  14. rest — a break
  15. bass — the fish
  16. kid — to tease
  17. board — to get on
  18. mate — a partner
  19. pit — a hole
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. spring — of water
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. pit — in a race

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