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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. staff — employees
  3. content — happy
  4. pound — a weight
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rush — hurry
  8. pit — a hole
  9. ground — a position
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. spring — of water
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. spring — the season
  16. pit — in a race
  17. ground — the earth
  18. staff — employees
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. staff — a stick
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. spring — a coil

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