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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. suit — in cards
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. pit — in a race
  7. suit — clothes
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. march — the month
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. suit — to fit
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. file — a tool
  19. pit — a hole
  20. file — a document
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the sport
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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