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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. hand — in cards
  3. rush — hurry
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. scale — in music
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. scale — size or range
  14. perch — the fish
  15. pit — a hole
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. club — for golf
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. club — a group
  20. pit — in a race
  21. hand — help
  22. club — for dancing
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. racket — for tennis

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