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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. pit — a hole
  3. game — a match
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. mate — a partner
  6. pop — to visit
  7. dip — to sink
  8. mate — a friend
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. pop — soda
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. pop — music
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — to shout
  20. pit — in a race
  21. stand — to bear
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. mate — to breed

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