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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. bound — tied together
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bound — certain
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. chair — a leader
  10. cold — not warm
  11. pit — a hole
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bound — obliged
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. fall — the season
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cold — an illness
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. chair — a professorship

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