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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — high quality
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. branch — a division
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. club — for golf
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. vault — a safe
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — help
  17. stem — to come from
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. pit — a hole
  20. club — for dancing
  21. pit — in a race
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. club — a group

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