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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. perch — the fish
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. land — a country
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cell — a phone
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cell — in biology
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cue — for pool
  13. pit — a hole
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. land — to come down
  17. cue — a hint
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. land — ground
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. cue — a signal
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. perch — for a bird

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