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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. track — a path
  6. pit — a hole
  7. track — to keep track
  8. saw — the tool
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. kick — in football
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. ball — a dance
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. pit — in a race
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. pop — to visit
  20. track — a song
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — soda

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