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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  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. pit — a fruit stone
  2. mine — for digging
  3. net — in sport
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. net — for catching
  6. saw — the tool
  7. hand — help
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. band — a ring
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. band — a music group
  13. net — after costs
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. track — to keep track
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. track — a path
  18. pit — a hole
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. track — a song
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. hand — in cards
  23. saw — the tool
  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