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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. firm — decided
  3. firm — a company
  4. fork — in a road
  5. firm — steady
  6. lean — thin
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bat — the animal
  9. club — for golf
  10. pit — in a race
  11. mark — a trace
  12. club — a group
  13. lean — to bend
  14. mark — a grade
  15. shower — rain
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. pit — a hole
  23. club — for dancing
  24. fork — a garden tool

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