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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bat — the animal
  3. can — a tin
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. stem — to come from
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. spring — the season
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. pit — a hole
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — the sport
  15. vault — a safe
  16. spring — a coil
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. spring — of water
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. kick — in football
  24. pit — in a race

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