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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. face — part of the head
  3. rest — a break
  4. charge — in control
  5. face — to point toward
  6. charge — electricity
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pit — a hole
  11. rest — what's left
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. file — a tool
  16. charge — a price
  17. pit — in a race
  18. wound — an injury
  19. dip — to sink
  20. face — to confront
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a line of people
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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