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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. suit — to fit
  4. spring — the season
  5. suit — in cards
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. spring — a coil
  8. land — a country
  9. land — to come down
  10. pound — a weight
  11. land — ground
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. drill — army training
  15. rule — a law
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. spring — of water
  18. drill — the tool
  19. dip — to sink
  20. drill — a practice
  21. pit — a hole
  22. suit — clothes
  23. rule — government
  24. pound — for dogs

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