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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 120 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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pass — a permit
  3. last — final
  4. last — finally
  5. rest — what's left
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bank — for money
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bank — for money
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — the arms race
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. last — to go on
  16. file — a document
  17. race — a contest
  18. bank — of a river
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. file — a tool
  23. rest — a break
  24. pit — in a race

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