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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 116 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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  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. perch — for a bird
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. tube — the underground
  5. charge — a price
  6. pit — in a race
  7. charge — in control
  8. last — final
  9. pit — a hole
  10. perch — the fish
  11. tube — a container
  12. staff — a stick
  13. rush — hurry
  14. last — finally
  15. staff — employees
  16. charge — electricity
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. staff — employees
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. stand — to bear
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. rush — a thrill
  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