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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 120 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. season — in sport
  3. cap — a lid
  4. rest — what's left
  5. season — of the year
  6. rest — what's left
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. rest — a break
  12. bark — to shout
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. cue — for pool
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. cue — a signal
  19. cap — a hat
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — in a race
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — all right

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