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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  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. branch — a division
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. race — the arms race
  5. ball — a great time
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. pop — music
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. pop — to visit
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — humankind
  17. fork — in a road
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. pop — soda
  20. tear — from crying
  21. ball — a dance
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. pit — in a race
  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