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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pit — in a race
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pit — a hole
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. perch — the fish
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — a safe
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. game — wild animals
  23. rush — hurry
  24. mine — for digging

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