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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pit — in a race
  4. spell — a short time
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. game — a match
  7. pit — a hole
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. spell — letters
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. game — wild animals
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. object — a thing
  17. pass — a permit
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. chip — for betting
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. object — to protest
  22. object — an aim
  23. spell — magic
  24. chip — to eat

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