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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 116 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pop — soda
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. perch — the fish
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pit — a hole
  9. sharp — clever
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. lean — to bend
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pop — to visit
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. key — in music
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pop — music
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. pit — in a race

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