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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mug — to rob
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mug — a face
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. pit — a hole
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. prune — to trim
  15. present — a gift
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. mug — a cup
  22. present — the time now
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pit — in a race

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