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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. hand — help
  3. track — a song
  4. track — a path
  5. track — to keep track
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. court — for sport
  9. pit — a hole
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. net — in sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — for catching
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wake — a trail
  21. pit — in a race
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. hand — part of the body

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