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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 116 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. can — a tin
  4. craft — a skill
  5. face — to confront
  6. pit — a hole
  7. hand — help
  8. can — to be able to
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. hand — in cards
  11. key — in music
  12. pit — in a race
  13. key — the most important part
  14. wake — a trail
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. stock — shares
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. stock — goods
  20. face — part of the head
  21. craft — boats
  22. face — to point toward
  23. can — a tin
  24. key — for a lock

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