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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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Word bank
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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. season — of the year
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. wind — moving air
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. wind — moving air
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. tube — a container
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. season — in sport
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. pit — a hole
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. pit — in a race
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. tube — the underground
  24. wound — an injury

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