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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. key — in music
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. key — for a lock
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. rule — a law
  10. club — a group
  11. pound — a weight
  12. rule — government
  13. key — the most important part
  14. club — for dancing
  15. squash — the sport
  16. fall — to drop
  17. club — for golf
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pit — in a race
  20. squash — to crush
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pit — a hole

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