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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — a hole
  4. drill — army training
  5. scale — in music
  6. craft — a skill
  7. shower — to wash
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. firm — steady
  11. drill — a practice
  12. firm — decided
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. ground — the earth
  15. craft — boats
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. snap — to click
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — a position
  21. scale — size or range
  22. firm — a company
  23. shower — rain
  24. drill — the tool

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