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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. cap — of ice
  8. lie — to recline
  9. stock — shares
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bass — the fish
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bass — low music
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mine — for digging
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pit — in a race
  20. cap — a hat
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. stock — goods
  23. cap — a lid
  24. bass — the instrument

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