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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pit — in a race
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wound — an injury
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fine — all right
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. current — electric
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. rush — hurry
  15. fine — high quality
  16. current — happening now
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — a phone
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — a hole
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. chest — a box
  24. current — of water

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