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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 120 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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  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. pit — a fruit stone
  2. board — a committee
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — a permit
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pit — in a race
  7. file — a tool
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. file — a line of people
  11. tear — from crying
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. file — a document
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — letters
  16. rule — government
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. pit — a hole
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. rule — a law
  22. board — to get on
  23. spell — magic
  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