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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — ground
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. pit — a hole
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. land — a country
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. dip — to sink
  10. face — to point toward
  11. snap — to click
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. march — the month
  17. lie — to recline
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. face — to confront
  20. march — the month
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. face — part of the head
  23. march — music
  24. dip — to dunk

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