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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. object — a thing
  3. pit — in a race
  4. clip — for paper
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. object — an aim
  7. cell — a phone
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. clip — a video
  11. cap — of ice
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. clip — to cut
  16. content — the amount
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cap — a lid
  20. sharp — clever
  21. pit — a hole
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. object — to protest
  24. content — happy

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