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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 116 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. wound — an injury
  3. can — a tin
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. pit — a hole
  6. object — to protest
  7. deal — to handle
  8. degree — temperature
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — to confront
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. degree — from a university
  14. can — a tin
  15. object — a thing
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pit — in a race
  19. object — an aim
  20. can — to be able to
  21. degree — an amount
  22. face — part of the head
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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