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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. clip — for paper
  4. swing — music
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. swing — to play on
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. land — a country
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. swing — in golf
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. land — ground
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. pit — in a race
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. stem — to come from
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. land — to come down
  24. bay — a horse colour

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