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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  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. coach — a trainer
  3. firm — decided
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. scale — size or range
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. cold — not warm
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. scale — in music
  12. season — of the year
  13. snap — to click
  14. cold — an illness
  15. season — in sport
  16. firm — steady
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. foot — a measure
  21. firm — a company
  22. pit — a hole
  23. coach — a trainer
  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