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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. rush — hurry
  3. march — the month
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. chip — to eat
  6. pop — music
  7. perch — the fish
  8. pop — soda
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. object — to protest
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. object — a thing
  15. march — music
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wound — an injury
  18. object — an aim
  19. pop — to visit
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. march — the month
  23. pit — in a race
  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