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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. shower — to wash
  5. kick — in football
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. dip — to sink
  9. club — a group
  10. shower — rain
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. clip — a video
  17. club — for golf
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. clip — for paper
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. pit — in a race

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