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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. rash — hasty
  3. game — a match
  4. lie — to recline
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. pit — in a race
  7. plane — a tool
  8. pit — a hole
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rash — a series
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. current — happening now
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. current — of water
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. game — wild animals
  18. fall — to drop
  19. root — the cause
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — of a word
  23. current — electric
  24. fall — the season

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