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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. spring — of water
  3. net — after costs
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — a law
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. cap — of ice
  10. spell — magic
  11. spring — the season
  12. net — in sport
  13. spell — letters
  14. rule — government
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. net — for catching
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cap — a lid
  19. spell — a short time
  20. cap — a hat
  21. spring — a coil
  22. pit — a hole
  23. mine — for digging
  24. branch — a division

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