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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. lean — thin
  4. mine — for digging
  5. can — to be able to
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — of water
  10. pit — a hole
  11. spring — the season
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. rest — what's left
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. can — a tin
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. pit — in a race
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. lean — to bend
  21. can — a tin
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rest — a break

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