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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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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. rock — music
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. spell — letters
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. pit — in a race
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. current — electric
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rock — a stone
  14. spell — a short time
  15. current — happening now
  16. court — of law
  17. scale — in music
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. court — for sport
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. spell — magic
  22. court — of a king
  23. current — of water
  24. rock — to move gently

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