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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. drill — a practice
  4. tube — the underground
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bark — to shout
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. drill — the tool
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. track — a path
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. track — to keep track
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. track — a song
  18. tube — a container
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. lie — to recline
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — a lid
  24. drill — army training

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