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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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. rush — to hurry
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. spring — of water
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pit — a hole
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. pit — in a race
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. mate — a partner
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. staff — employees
  21. spring — a coil
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — army training
  24. rush — hurry

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