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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. spring — of water
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. spring — the season
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. spring — a coil
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. roll — a cake
  13. last — to go on
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. band — a music group
  16. roll — a list
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. last — final
  19. last — finally
  20. pit — in a race
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. foot — a measure
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. band — a ring

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