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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. perch — the fish
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. tube — a container
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — a stone
  7. saw — the tool
  8. game — a match
  9. rock — music
  10. squash — to crush
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. tube — the underground
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. squash — the sport
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. game — wild animals
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. lie — to recline
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. saw — the tool
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. pit — a hole
  24. perch — for a bird

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