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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. stock — goods
  3. clip — to cut
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. pit — in a race
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rule — government
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pit — a hole
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mine — for digging
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. clip — a video
  17. tear — to rip
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — shares
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. rule — a law
  22. lie — to recline
  23. clip — for paper
  24. mine — belonging to me

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