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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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 hole
  3. season — in sport
  4. hand — in cards
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. cold — not warm
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. mark — a grade
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. drill — a practice
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. drill — army training
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. rest — a break
  16. hand — help
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. drill — the tool
  19. season — of the year
  20. cold — an illness
  21. rest — what's left
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. mark — a trace

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