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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. perch — the fish
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. track — a path
  8. shower — to wash
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a song
  12. pit — a hole
  13. band — a music group
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pit — in a race
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. band — a ring
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. date — the fruit
  23. shower — rain
  24. jam — to spread on bread

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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