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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. net — after costs
  6. cold — an illness
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. dip — to sink
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. net — in sport
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bark — to shout
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. tear — to rip
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. pit — in a race
  23. cold — not warm
  24. net — for catching

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