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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rock — music
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. game — a match
  9. drill — the tool
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — a trail
  12. drill — army training
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. pit — in a race
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. rock — a stone
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. drill — a practice
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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