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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. present — a gift
  3. cap — a lid
  4. content — happy
  5. cap — a hat
  6. row — to paddle
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. spell — magic
  12. row — a line
  13. stand — to bear
  14. cap — of ice
  15. rash — a series
  16. pit — a hole
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — a short time
  20. present — there
  21. content — the amount
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. present — the time now

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