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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. suit — clothes
  3. branch — a division
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. suit — in cards
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a grade
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. last — to go on
  11. file — a document
  12. last — finally
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pit — a hole
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. last — final
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to click
  22. pit — in a race
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. suit — to fit

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