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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — in a race
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. roll — a list
  5. fine — all right
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. object — to protest
  8. dip — to sink
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. object — an aim
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. roll — a cake
  13. object — a thing
  14. drill — army training
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — to shout
  18. row — a line
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. pit — a hole
  21. fine — high quality
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — the tool

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