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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pop — to visit
  4. rock — a stone
  5. plane — a tool
  6. chest — of your body
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. pit — in a race
  10. track — a path
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. degree — temperature
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. pop — soda
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. chest — a box
  18. pop — music
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. track — a song
  21. degree — from a university
  22. rock — music
  23. degree — an amount
  24. track — to keep track

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