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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. track — a song
  3. pit — a hole
  4. march — the month
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. face — part of the head
  7. fork — in a road
  8. wound — an injury
  9. tear — from crying
  10. face — to confront
  11. tear — to rip
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. cell — in biology
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. track — to keep track
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. track — a path
  20. face — to point toward
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. cell — a phone
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. wound — an injury

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