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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cue · club · land · wind · tear · mark · pit · face

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — in a race
  3. tear — to rip
  4. mark — a grade
  5. wind — moving air
  6. club — a group
  7. land — ground
  8. pit — a hole
  9. face — to point toward
  10. land — a country
  11. tear — from crying
  12. club — for golf
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mark — a trace
  16. face — to confront
  17. land — to come down
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. face — part of the head
  20. cue — a hint
  21. club — for dancing
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — for pool
  24. tear — from crying

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