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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. present — a gift
  4. fork — in a road
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. pit — in a race
  8. present — the time now
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. vault — a safe
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. row — to paddle
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. row — a line
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. present — there
  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