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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a face
  5. tube — the underground
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bat — the animal
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. tube — a container
  14. chest — of your body
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — the most important part
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. key — in music
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. chest — a box
  24. mug — a cup

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