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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. root — of a word
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pit — a hole
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. track — to keep track
  10. rest — a break
  11. pit — in a race
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bank — for money
  15. cell — a phone
  16. root — the cause
  17. track — a song
  18. bank — for money
  19. track — a path
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bank — of a river
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rest — what's left

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