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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  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. pit — a fruit stone
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. rock — music
  7. kick — in football
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. fork — in a road
  10. rest — what's left
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pit — a hole
  17. rest — what's left
  18. kid — child
  19. rock — a stone
  20. kid — to tease
  21. squash — the sport
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. kick — with a leg
  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