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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 124 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. band — a music group
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pit — in a race
  6. suit — clothes
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. wind — moving air
  10. band — a ring
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. file — a tool
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. suit — in cards
  19. roll — a cake
  20. file — a document
  21. suit — to fit
  22. perch — the fish
  23. file — a line of people
  24. roll — a list

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