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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 116 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. spring — of water
  3. cue — for pool
  4. swing — music
  5. game — a match
  6. spring — the season
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wake — a trail
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — a signal
  17. game — wild animals
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pit — in a race
  20. lean — thin
  21. swing — in golf
  22. spring — a coil
  23. swing — to play on
  24. lean — to bend

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