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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. staff — a stick
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. wound — an injury
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. track — to keep track
  8. row — to paddle
  9. track — a path
  10. track — a song
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — an aim
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pit — in a race
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. fall — to drop
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fall — the season
  20. row — a line
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. fall — to drop
  23. object — a thing
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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