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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bat — the animal
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. pit — in a race
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. chest — a box
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. roll — a list
  19. pit — a hole
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. roll — a cake

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