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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. pit — a hole
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wind — moving air
  7. suit — clothes
  8. degree — from a university
  9. object — an aim
  10. pit — in a race
  11. band — a ring
  12. rash — hasty
  13. suit — to fit
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. object — a thing
  16. band — a music group
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. object — to protest
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — an amount
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — a series
  24. suit — in cards

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