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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. spring — a coil
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. pit — a hole
  9. spring — the season
  10. toast — bread
  11. spring — of water
  12. kick — in football
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bat — the animal
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — rain
  24. bat — for baseball

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