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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 120 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. march — the month
  3. fine — high quality
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. pit — in a race
  8. snap — to click
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. spring — the season
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. spring — a coil
  14. fine — all right
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. march — music
  20. pit — a hole
  21. spring — of water
  22. march — the month
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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