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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. suit — clothes
  3. suit — to fit
  4. current — of water
  5. dip — to sink
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. suit — in cards
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. pit — a hole
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. date — the fruit
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a tool
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. current — happening now
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pit — in a race
  22. file — a line of people
  23. current — electric
  24. straw — a straw man

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