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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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468
Word bank
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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. fine — all right
  5. tear — to rip
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — in a race
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. kick — in football
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rest — what's left
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — to add flavour

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