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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 120 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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. fork — in a road
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. drill — the tool
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — to cut
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. cold — not warm
  10. drill — a practice
  11. cold — an illness
  12. lean — to bend
  13. clip — a video
  14. cap — a hat
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. cap — of ice
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. branch — a division
  19. drill — army training
  20. cap — a lid
  21. pit — a hole
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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