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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 120 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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bank — of a river
  5. clip — for paper
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a hole
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — a video
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bank — for money
  13. net — in sport
  14. bank — for money
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. net — for catching
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. cap — a hat
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. net — after costs
  23. bass — low music
  24. shower — rain

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