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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 124 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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. pit — a hole
  6. spring — a coil
  7. mark — a grade
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. root — the cause
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. spring — the season
  13. pit — in a race
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a trace
  16. band — a music group
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bass — low music
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. spring — of water
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. root — of a word
  23. bass — the fish
  24. band — a ring

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