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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 drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bass — the fish
  5. march — music
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. kid — child
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — of ice
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pit — a hole
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cap — a lid
  16. march — the month
  17. pitch — completely
  18. kid — to tease
  19. march — the month
  20. pit — in a race
  21. bass — low music
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. patient — a sick person

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