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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. chair — a leader
  3. band — a ring
  4. craft — a skill
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pop — music
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. pop — to visit
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. band — a music group
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. pit — in a race
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. fine — all right
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. fine — high quality
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. pop — soda
  24. craft — boats

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