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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 120 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. pit — in a race
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. tear — to rip
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. chip — for betting
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. chip — to eat
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bat — the animal
  15. tear — from crying
  16. fork — in a road
  17. craft — boats
  18. scale — size or range
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. scale — in music
  21. craft — a skill
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. tear — from crying

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