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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. last — finally
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. present — a gift
  6. swing — to play on
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pit — in a race
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. swing — in golf
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. stand — to bear
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — there
  15. pit — a hole
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a tool
  18. last — to go on
  19. foot — a measure
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. file — a document
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. last — final
  24. swing — music

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