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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. net — after costs
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — ground
  9. degree — from a university
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. net — in sport
  14. land — a country
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — to visit
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. net — for catching
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pop — music
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — an amount
  24. jam — in traffic

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