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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — a hole
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. last — to go on
  7. spell — letters
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. kick — in football
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. spell — magic
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. last — finally
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pit — in a race
  18. wax — to grow
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. kid — child
  21. last — final
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. bear — the animal

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