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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. pit — in a race
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. wind — moving air
  7. net — for catching
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. net — in sport
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. net — after costs
  12. face — to confront
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pit — a hole
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. face — to point toward
  18. mine — for digging
  19. face — part of the head
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. ruler — for measuring

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