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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 116 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — for digging
  6. cell — a phone
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. charge — a price
  10. charge — electricity
  11. pit — a hole
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. march — the month
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. charge — in control
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. march — music
  21. pound — a weight
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pit — in a race
  24. march — the month

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