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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. perch — the fish
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chest — of your body
  7. race — a contest
  8. land — a country
  9. race — the arms race
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. tear — to rip
  12. land — to come down
  13. pit — in a race
  14. chest — a box
  15. chip — to eat
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. chip — for betting
  18. chest — of your body
  19. race — humankind
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pit — a hole
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. land — ground

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