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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. craft — a skill
  6. file — a line of people
  7. pit — a hole
  8. file — a document
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. file — a tool
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. snap — to click
  13. craft — boats
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. stock — goods
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pit — in a race
  21. stock — shares
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. nail — on a finger

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