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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — in a race
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wax — to grow
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bound — tied together
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wound — an injury
  12. scale — size or range
  13. pit — a hole
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — all right
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. fine — high quality
  19. scale — in music
  20. bound — certain
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. kick — in football
  24. bound — obliged

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