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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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. pit — a hole
  3. spell — a short time
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. pop — to visit
  7. band — a music group
  8. pop — music
  9. rush — hurry
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. board — to get on
  12. squash — the sport
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. spell — magic
  15. pop — soda
  16. roll — a cake
  17. pit — in a race
  18. roll — a list
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. spell — letters
  21. squash — to crush
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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