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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. file — a document
  4. pop — music
  5. lean — thin
  6. pass — a permit
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a tool
  11. perch — the fish
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. lean — to bend
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. pop — to visit
  19. net — after costs
  20. pit — in a race
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. pop — soda
  24. pass — to spend time

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