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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 124 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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. kid — child
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. march — the month
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. march — music
  12. foot — a measure
  13. fine — all right
  14. march — the month
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. drill — a practice
  19. mine — for digging
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. drill — the tool
  22. kid — to tease
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. drill — army training

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