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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. object — to protest
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rule — government
  6. object — a thing
  7. rest — a break
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. foot — a measure
  10. row — a line
  11. rule — a law
  12. rest — what's left
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. pit — in a race
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. club — for golf
  19. club — for dancing
  20. club — a group
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pit — a hole
  23. perch — the fish
  24. row — to paddle

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