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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. track — a path
  4. pop — to visit
  5. snap — to click
  6. sharp — clever
  7. pop — soda
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pop — music
  13. pit — in a race
  14. rash — a series
  15. rush — hurry
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. rash — hasty
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. track — a song
  20. pit — a hole
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. track — to keep track

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