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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. pit — a hole
  3. spring — the season
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. spring — of water
  7. swing — in golf
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. mark — a trace
  10. swing — music
  11. spring — a coil
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. foot — a measure
  14. swing — to play on
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mark — a grade
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. date — the fruit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bark — to shout
  23. pit — in a race
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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