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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. season — of the year
  3. clip — for paper
  4. firm — a company
  5. pop — soda
  6. firm — steady
  7. season — in sport
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. clip — a video
  13. firm — decided
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. clip — to cut
  16. rest — a break
  17. pit — a hole
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a face
  20. pit — in a race
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pop — music
  23. mug — a cup
  24. bear — the animal

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