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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. rule — a law
  5. pit — in a race
  6. fork — in a road
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. cold — not warm
  9. rule — government
  10. chest — a box
  11. date — the fruit
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. chest — of your body
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. can — to be able to
  16. cold — an illness
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pit — a hole
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. chest — of your body
  24. rule — to rule out

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