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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. current — happening now
  3. stand — to bear
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. land — a country
  6. bound — certain
  7. current — electric
  8. pit — a hole
  9. land — ground
  10. land — to come down
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. pit — in a race
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. current — of water
  21. tube — a container
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bark — to shout
  24. snap — to click

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