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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 124 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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. rock — music
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pit — in a race
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rock — a stone
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fine — high quality
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. pit — a hole
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fine — all right
  20. fork — in a road
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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