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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. mark — a trace
  4. pit — a hole
  5. branch — a division
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. tear — to rip
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. mark — a grade
  13. rule — government
  14. wake — a trail
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. sharp — clever
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rush — hurry
  22. pit — in a race
  23. rule — a law
  24. tear — from crying

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