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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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. clip — to cut
  4. lean — to bend
  5. pit — in a race
  6. lean — thin
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. branch — a division
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. fine — high quality
  16. net — in sport
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. fine — all right
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. patient — a sick person

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