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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — in a race
  3. last — to go on
  4. object — a thing
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. last — final
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. chair — a leader
  11. last — finally
  12. object — an aim
  13. pit — a hole
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. vault — a safe
  18. wax — to grow
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. object — to protest
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. mine — for digging
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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