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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. mine — for digging
  3. board — a committee
  4. track — a path
  5. mate — to breed
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. track — to keep track
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — a friend
  11. track — a song
  12. pit — in a race
  13. land — to come down
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pit — a hole
  16. land — ground
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. land — a country
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. board — to get on
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. mine — belonging to me

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