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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. net — for catching
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rest — what's left
  5. tear — from crying
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a line of people
  8. tear — to rip
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. net — in sport
  12. file — a document
  13. pop — soda
  14. net — after costs
  15. tear — from crying
  16. object — an aim
  17. pit — a hole
  18. rest — what's left
  19. object — to protest
  20. pop — music
  21. object — a thing
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pop — to visit
  24. rest — a break

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