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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 120 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. object — to protest
  4. pit — a hole
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. object — a thing
  9. lean — thin
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. spring — the season
  14. object — an aim
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. spring — a coil
  18. pit — in a race
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. lean — to bend
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. fall — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. lean — to rest against

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