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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a trace
  5. branch — a division
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. mark — a grade
  9. game — a match
  10. chest — of your body
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pit — a hole
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. game — wild animals
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. ball — a great time
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pit — in a race
  23. tear — from crying
  24. ball — a dance

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