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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. last — finally
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bear — the animal
  5. rule — a law
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rule — government
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. pit — a hole
  17. last — to go on
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to click
  21. bank — for money
  22. bear — the animal
  23. last — final
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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