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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — a hole
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. last — final
  6. suit — to fit
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. land — a country
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. last — to go on
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. land — ground
  15. rush — hurry
  16. land — to come down
  17. suit — in cards
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. last — finally
  22. pit — in a race
  23. suit — clothes
  24. chair — a leader

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