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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. track — a path
  4. season — in sport
  5. pit — a hole
  6. sharp — clever
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mate — to breed
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bark — to shout
  15. mate — a partner
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. season — of the year
  18. track — a song
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. track — to keep track
  23. mate — a friend
  24. fan — to cool the air

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