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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. row — a line
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. row — to paddle
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mug — to rob
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pit — in a race
  17. bear — the animal
  18. chest — a box
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mug — a face

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