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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. rule — government
  3. pit — in a race
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. chest — of your body
  10. march — the month
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rule — a law
  14. roll — a cake
  15. dip — to sink
  16. saw — the tool
  17. march — the month
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. march — music
  21. chest — a box
  22. roll — a list
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pit — a hole

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