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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. cell — a phone
  3. fine — all right
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. root — of a word
  7. swing — music
  8. race — the arms race
  9. lean — thin
  10. root — the cause
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. swing — to play on
  14. race — a contest
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. root — of a plant
  17. swing — in golf
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. race — humankind
  20. fine — high quality
  21. lean — to bend
  22. bat — the animal
  23. pit — a hole
  24. cell — in a prison

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