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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. swing — in golf
  3. date — the fruit
  4. wound — an injury
  5. staff — a stick
  6. pit — a hole
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. staff — employees
  9. track — a path
  10. staff — employees
  11. swing — music
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. tear — to rip
  14. track — a song
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. tear — from crying
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wound — an injury
  20. track — to keep track
  21. swing — to play on
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — a trail

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