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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. track — a path
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. staff — a stick
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. cue — for pool
  8. staff — employees
  9. lie — to recline
  10. fine — all right
  11. bound — certain
  12. cue — a signal
  13. track — a song
  14. staff — employees
  15. pit — a hole
  16. cue — a hint
  17. pit — in a race
  18. track — to keep track
  19. fine — high quality
  20. hand — help
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — tied together

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