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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. wound — an injury
  3. staff — a stick
  4. pit — a hole
  5. rock — a stone
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. tear — to rip
  10. rock — music
  11. pit — in a race
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. field — a subject
  14. key — in music
  15. tear — from crying
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — for sport
  18. staff — employees
  19. key — for a lock
  20. tear — from crying
  21. staff — employees
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. key — the most important part

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