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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. rash — hasty
  7. pit — a hole
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — obliged
  11. sharp — clever
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. rash — a series
  18. bound — certain
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. hand — help
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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