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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 124 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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. chip — for betting
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fall — to drop
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — in a race
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. chip — to eat
  17. fine — all right
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. fall — the season
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. date — the fruit

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