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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. club — for golf
  4. pit — a hole
  5. cell — a phone
  6. sharp — clever
  7. scale — size or range
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rash — a series
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. snap — to click
  16. cell — in biology
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. club — a group
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. rash — hasty
  23. scale — in music
  24. club — for dancing

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