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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. lean — thin
  3. spring — of water
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bat — the animal
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. lean — to bend
  11. spring — the season
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. club — for golf
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. club — a group
  19. pit — in a race
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. club — for dancing
  22. rest — a break
  23. spring — a coil
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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