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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. net — after costs
  3. drill — a practice
  4. staff — a stick
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. net — for catching
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bass — low music
  10. drill — army training
  11. net — in sport
  12. race — humankind
  13. staff — employees
  14. branch — a division
  15. race — a contest
  16. pit — in a race
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. drill — the tool
  21. pit — a hole
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bass — the fish
  24. staff — employees

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