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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. date — the fruit
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — in a race
  6. ground — a position
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. tube — a container
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. pit — a hole
  13. mug — to rob
  14. vault — a safe
  15. tube — the underground
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. ground — the earth
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bat — the animal
  23. row — a line
  24. ground — crushed

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