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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. net — after costs
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. net — in sport
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pit — in a race
  7. scale — size or range
  8. cap — of ice
  9. charge — electricity
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cap — a hat
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pit — a hole
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. charge — in control
  17. cap — a lid
  18. charge — a price
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. net — for catching
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. scale — in music

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