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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. court — of law
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. court — for sport
  10. current — of water
  11. current — electric
  12. rule — a law
  13. court — of a king
  14. current — happening now
  15. rash — a series
  16. rock — music
  17. rule — government
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rock — a stone
  21. pit — in a race
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bowl — to roll

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