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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. tube — the underground
  3. club — for golf
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. club — for dancing
  6. vault — a safe
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mate — to breed
  9. root — the cause
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. tube — a container
  12. mate — a friend
  13. prune — to trim
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pit — in a race
  17. root — of a word
  18. pit — a hole
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. prune — to trim
  21. root — of a plant
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. club — a group
  24. mate — a partner

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