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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. pit — in a race
  3. net — after costs
  4. file — a tool
  5. shower — to wash
  6. rock — music
  7. pit — a hole
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. file — a document
  12. rock — a stone
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. drill — army training
  15. shower — rain
  16. net — in sport
  17. drill — the tool
  18. pass — a permit
  19. rush — hurry
  20. file — a line of people
  21. net — for catching
  22. drill — a practice
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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