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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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. firm — decided
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a song
  8. drill — the tool
  9. firm — a company
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — army training
  13. firm — steady
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. swing — to play on
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. swing — in golf
  18. shower — rain
  19. pit — a hole
  20. track — a path
  21. stem — to come from
  22. shower — to wash
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. swing — music

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