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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. last — to go on
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — in a race
  5. bass — low music
  6. present — the time now
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. last — finally
  10. present — there
  11. cell — in biology
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — a measure
  14. present — a gift
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cell — a phone
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. bear — the animal
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. last — final

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