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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. mate — a friend
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pit — a hole
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mate — a partner
  18. pit — in a race
  19. wound — an injury
  20. squash — the sport
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. deal — to handle
  24. mate — to breed

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