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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. spring — the season
  3. pit — in a race
  4. file — a line of people
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. file — a tool
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — to shout
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. spring — of water
  12. scale — size or range
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. file — a document
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. foot — a measure
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. scale — in music
  24. foot — part of the body

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