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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — to sink
  5. can — a tin
  6. rock — music
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. season — in sport
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. season — of the year
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. can — a tin
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bat — the animal
  21. can — to be able to
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. dip — a sauce

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