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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. last — finally
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. game — wild animals
  6. can — a tin
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. deal — to handle
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. last — final
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. last — to go on
  18. can — to be able to
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. can — a tin
  23. game — a match
  24. deal — an agreement

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