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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. degree — from a university
  3. last — final
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. degree — temperature
  6. spring — the season
  7. last — finally
  8. court — of law
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. court — for sport
  11. degree — an amount
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. kick — in football
  15. last — to go on
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. spring — of water
  19. court — of a king
  20. spring — a coil
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. pit — a hole
  24. bay — a horse colour

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