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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. face — to confront
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. net — after costs
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. drill — the tool
  10. net — in sport
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. drill — army training
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. net — for catching
  16. cold — not warm
  17. face — to point toward
  18. lean — thin
  19. drill — a practice
  20. pit — a hole
  21. cold — an illness
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. face — part of the head
  24. ruler — for measuring

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