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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. kid — child
  4. rule — government
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bound — obliged
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rule — a law
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. last — final
  11. last — to go on
  12. kid — to tease
  13. rush — hurry
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bat — the animal
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bound — certain
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. last — finally
  24. bat — in an idiom

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