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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. squash — the sport
  3. pit — in a race
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — for digging
  6. squash — to crush
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. rash — a series
  12. clip — for paper
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. key — for a lock
  16. clip — a video
  17. rash — hasty
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. foot — a measure
  21. clip — to cut
  22. pit — a hole
  23. key — in music
  24. key — the most important part

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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