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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 120 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. pound — a weight
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. mark — a grade
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. lean — thin
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pit — a hole
  11. last — to go on
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. last — final
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. lean — to bend
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pit — in a race
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. mark — a trace
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cell — a phone

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