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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. pit — in a race
  8. march — music
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. pit — a hole
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. rash — a series
  23. date — the fruit
  24. rash — hasty

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