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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. toast — bread
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fall — the season
  8. current — of water
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. current — electric
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. ball — a dance
  16. fall — to drop
  17. ball — a great time
  18. current — happening now
  19. kick — in football
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. pit — in a race
  22. fork — in a road
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. toast — the most admired

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