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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. cell — a phone
  4. pit — a hole
  5. deal — to handle
  6. last — to go on
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. last — final
  10. stand — to bear
  11. key — in music
  12. cell — in biology
  13. file — a document
  14. last — finally
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. pit — in a race
  20. file — a line of people
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — for a lock
  23. file — a tool
  24. wound — an injury

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