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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. can — a tin
  5. band — a music group
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. cold — not warm
  10. pit — a hole
  11. track — a song
  12. can — a tin
  13. sharp — clever
  14. track — to keep track
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. can — to be able to
  18. track — a path
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. cold — an illness
  24. band — a ring

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