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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bound — tied together
  4. mate — to breed
  5. hand — help
  6. bound — obliged
  7. mate — a friend
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bound — certain
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pit — in a race
  13. last — finally
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rush — hurry
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. last — final
  18. pit — a hole
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mate — a partner
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. last — to go on

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