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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. clip — for paper
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. face — to confront
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. face — part of the head
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — in a race
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — to protest
  14. band — a music group
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — a video
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. face — to point toward
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. object — a thing
  23. band — a ring
  24. temple — a place of worship

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