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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. pit — in a race
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a tool
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a city
  16. file — a line of people
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. rush — hurry
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pit — a hole

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