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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. object — an aim
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. object — a thing
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. cap — a lid
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. mine — for digging
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cap — of ice
  12. roll — a list
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. rule — a law
  16. object — to protest
  17. rule — government
  18. last — to go on
  19. cap — a hat
  20. last — finally
  21. pit — in a race
  22. last — final
  23. roll — a cake
  24. pit — a hole

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