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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. cue — a hint
  4. field — a subject
  5. pop — soda
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. field — farmland
  8. can — a tin
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pit — a hole
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bore — to drill
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bore — to tire
  21. pit — in a race
  22. field — for sport
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. pop — music

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