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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 116 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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. last — to go on
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. file — a tool
  6. spell — magic
  7. track — a song
  8. spell — letters
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. spell — a short time
  11. pit — a hole
  12. file — a line of people
  13. last — final
  14. track — a path
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. kick — in football
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. track — to keep track
  21. last — finally
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. file — a document
  24. lash — to lash out

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