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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. cell — in biology
  4. shower — to wash
  5. perch — the fish
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. cell — a phone
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. pit — a hole
  20. fall — to drop
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. shower — rain
  24. fall — the season

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