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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 120 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. deal — to handle
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. pit — a hole
  5. suit — in cards
  6. suit — to fit
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. suit — clothes
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. cold — not warm
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — a container
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. fine — all right
  16. pit — in a race
  17. fine — high quality
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. deal — a big deal

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