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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. row — to paddle
  3. pit — a hole
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. row — a line
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. mine — for digging
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. pit — in a race
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. pound — a weight
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bat — the animal
  21. foot — a measure
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. snap — to click

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