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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. mate — a friend
  3. root — of a word
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — certain
  8. root — the cause
  9. pit — a hole
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. mate — a partner
  12. key — for a lock
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. staff — a stick
  15. dip — to sink
  16. staff — employees
  17. key — the most important part
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. key — in music
  20. bound — tied together
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. root — of a plant
  23. staff — employees
  24. mate — to breed

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