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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bass — low music
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. cap — a lid
  7. pit — in a race
  8. bound — tied together
  9. cap — of ice
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. pit — a hole
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bound — certain
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bass — the fish
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — part of the head
  24. date — the fruit

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