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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bank — for money
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. row — a line
  5. key — in music
  6. mate — a partner
  7. key — the most important part
  8. pit — in a race
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — to handle
  11. bank — of a river
  12. pit — a hole
  13. foot — a measure
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — final
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a friend
  18. key — for a lock
  19. bank — for money
  20. last — finally
  21. row — to paddle
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. foot — part of the body

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