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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. face — to point toward
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. pit — a hole
  8. dip — to sink
  9. file — a tool
  10. land — ground
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. lie — to recline
  13. land — to come down
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. file — a line of people
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to confront
  20. file — a document
  21. land — a country
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. fork — in a road

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