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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. roll — a cake
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. spell — a short time
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. hand — help
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. spell — magic
  16. pit — in a race
  17. bear — the animal
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. spell — letters
  20. hand — in cards
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bear — the animal
  23. roll — a list
  24. pit — a hole

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