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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — a hole
  4. kid — child
  5. present — there
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. present — the time now
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pit — in a race
  17. present — a gift
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — a series
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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