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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. rash — a series
  3. pit — in a race
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pit — a hole
  6. rash — hasty
  7. march — the month
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bound — tied together
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bound — certain
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. lie — to recline
  18. march — music
  19. bound — obliged
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. march — the month
  22. mine — for digging
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. shower — rain

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