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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 116 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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. scale — in music
  3. spring — the season
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. sharp — clever
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. firm — decided
  10. scale — size or range
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. pit — a hole
  13. spring — a coil
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. firm — steady
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. dip — to sink
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. kick — in football
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. pit — in a race
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. spring — of water

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