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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mine — for digging
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. current — happening now
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. last — to go on
  11. current — electric
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pit — in a race
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. last — final
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. rock — a stone
  19. pit — a hole
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. current — of water
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — music
  24. last — finally

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