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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. march — the month
  4. rush — hurry
  5. chest — a box
  6. spell — a short time
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a ring
  9. spell — magic
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. chest — of your body
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. chest — of your body
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. kick — in football
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. spell — letters
  24. pit — in a race

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