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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 124 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. key — for a lock
  3. mate — a friend
  4. row — a line
  5. key — in music
  6. mate — a partner
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. row — to paddle
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. saw — the tool
  17. key — the most important part
  18. kid — to tease
  19. mate — to breed
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. saw — the tool
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. kid — child

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