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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.

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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 chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. mate — a friend
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — size or range
  6. pit — in a race
  7. mate — a partner
  8. key — for a lock
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. key — the most important part
  11. race — a contest
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. key — in music
  14. perch — the fish
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — the arms race
  17. dip — to sink
  18. pit — a hole
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. mate — to breed
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — a division

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