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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. rule — government
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. file — a document
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rush — hurry
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. degree — an amount
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rule — a law
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. file — a tool
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. degree — temperature
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. pit — a hole
  24. file — a line of people

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