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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. degree — from a university
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a skill
  6. fine — all right
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. content — the amount
  12. pit — in a race
  13. content — happy
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. stand — to bear
  16. degree — an amount
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. fine — high quality
  19. degree — temperature
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chest — a box
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. craft — a handicraft

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