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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. last — to go on
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. pit — in a race
  5. last — final
  6. mine — for digging
  7. firm — decided
  8. last — finally
  9. land — ground
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. squash — the sport
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. land — a country
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. squash — to crush
  19. firm — steady
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. land — to come down
  22. fork — in a road
  23. firm — a company
  24. pit — a hole

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