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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rule — government
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. net — after costs
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. rest — a break
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. track — to keep track
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for dancing
  15. track — a song
  16. dip — to sink
  17. track — a path
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. net — in sport
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. net — for catching
  23. pit — a hole
  24. rule — a law

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