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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. firm — a company
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. firm — decided
  11. rest — a break
  12. file — a tool
  13. rest — what's left
  14. firm — steady
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a document
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pit — a hole
  19. plane — a tool
  20. branch — a division
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. mark — a trace
  24. branch — of a bank

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