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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 120 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. scale — in music
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — clever
  8. wake — a trail
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. march — the month
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bound — obliged
  15. fine — high quality
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. fine — all right
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. pit — a hole
  24. fine — a penalty

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