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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 116 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. pit — in a race
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. cap — a lid
  5. court — of a king
  6. spell — letters
  7. tear — from crying
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. kick — in football
  12. mark — a grade
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — of water
  16. cap — a hat
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mark — a trace
  19. tear — to rip
  20. court — for sport
  21. cap — of ice
  22. court — of law
  23. current — electric
  24. spell — magic

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