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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  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 — in a race
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. mine — for digging
  7. file — a line of people
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. net — for catching
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. kick — in football
  12. net — in sport
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. cap — a hat
  16. file — a tool
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. cap — of ice
  19. file — a document
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. net — after costs
  22. game — a match
  23. cap — a lid
  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