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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. file — a line of people
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. scale — size or range
  15. file — a tool
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. file — a document
  20. pit — a hole
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. scale — in music
  23. wake — a trail
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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