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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. foot — a measure
  3. track — to keep track
  4. staff — a stick
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. cold — not warm
  10. rock — a stone
  11. track — a song
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. lean — to bend
  15. cold — an illness
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. track — a path
  19. pit — a hole
  20. staff — employees
  21. rock — music
  22. pit — in a race
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. staff — employees

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