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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. present — there
  3. firm — a company
  4. firm — decided
  5. mug — to rob
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — a hole
  8. fork — in a road
  9. chest — of your body
  10. present — a gift
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. firm — steady
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pit — in a race
  19. mug — a face
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. present — the time now
  22. mug — a cup
  23. chest — a box
  24. jam — a tight spot

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