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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 ________________ took off on time.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. plane — a tool
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. wind — moving air
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pit — in a race
  13. band — a ring
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. band — a music group
  16. pit — a hole
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bat — the animal
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. mate — a partner
  24. bear — the animal

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