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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bass — the fish
  4. charge — in control
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rush — hurry
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — a line
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. perch — the fish
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. row — to paddle
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. charge — a price
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. pit — in a race
  20. chest — a box
  21. charge — electricity
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bass — low 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