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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. chip — to eat
  6. pit — a hole
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. march — the month
  10. rush — hurry
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. chip — for betting
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. mate — a partner
  16. pit — in a race
  17. roll — a cake
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. mate — to breed
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. stand — to bear
  23. mate — a friend
  24. stand — on your feet

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