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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — thin
  4. chest — of your body
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. scale — size or range
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. mug — to rob
  10. bore — to drill
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. lean — to bend
  13. pit — a hole
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — music
  17. mug — a face
  18. scale — in music
  19. bore — to tire
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. chest — a box
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mug — a cup

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