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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. can — to be able to
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. kick — in football
  7. season — in sport
  8. object — an aim
  9. season — of the year
  10. pitch — completely
  11. object — to protest
  12. can — a tin
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. object — a thing
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. pit — in a race
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. pit — a hole
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. leaves — to go away

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