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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. charge — a price
  3. fine — all right
  4. charge — electricity
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. chest — of your body
  8. charge — in control
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. shower — rain
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. cap — a hat
  15. chest — a box
  16. bark — to shout
  17. pit — a hole
  18. cap — a lid
  19. shower — to wash
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. fine — high quality
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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