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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. club — for dancing
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bound — obliged
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a hole
  10. firm — a company
  11. clip — to cut
  12. firm — steady
  13. bound — certain
  14. chip — for betting
  15. clip — a video
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. club — for golf
  18. firm — decided
  19. vault — a safe
  20. club — a group
  21. clip — for paper
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. chip — to eat

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