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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. court — for sport
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. clip — a video
  8. pit — in a race
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. saw — the tool
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — to cut
  14. court — of law
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. plane — a tool
  18. rash — a series
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. rush — hurry
  23. court — of a king
  24. pitcher — a jug

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