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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. file — a line of people
  3. band — a music group
  4. swing — music
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a document
  7. rush — hurry
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a ring
  10. spell — magic
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pit — a hole
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. prune — to trim
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. bulb — for light
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. swing — in golf
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bulb — for light

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