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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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. wave — with your hand
  4. pit — a hole
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. mate — to breed
  7. chest — a box
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — a partner
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. chest — of your body
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. wax — to grow
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. vault — a safe
  20. chest — of your body
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. pit — in a race

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