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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. last — to go on
  4. pit — a hole
  5. spell — letters
  6. bore — to drill
  7. rule — a law
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. last — final
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for golf
  16. rush — hurry
  17. spell — a short time
  18. last — finally
  19. rule — government
  20. spell — magic
  21. pit — in a race
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. bore — to tire
  24. club — for dancing

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