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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. last — finally
  3. bound — tied together
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bound — obliged
  7. last — final
  8. pit — a hole
  9. press — to push
  10. present — a gift
  11. land — to come down
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. season — of the year
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. present — the time now
  16. land — a country
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — a publisher
  19. bound — certain
  20. season — in sport
  21. ball — a dance
  22. present — there
  23. land — ground
  24. last — to go on

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