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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. spring — a coil
  10. shower — to wash
  11. spring — the season
  12. pit — a hole
  13. stock — shares
  14. spring — of water
  15. stock — goods
  16. clip — to cut
  17. lean — to bend
  18. lean — thin
  19. clip — for paper
  20. ball — a great time
  21. shower — rain
  22. clip — a video
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a round shape

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