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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 120 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. pop — soda
  4. spring — of water
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. spring — the season
  7. staff — employees
  8. spring — a coil
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — music
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pit — in a race
  17. staff — employees
  18. bat — the animal
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — government
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. staff — a stick

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