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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. rash — hasty
  3. march — the month
  4. pitch — completely
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. date — the fruit
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. rash — a series
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. march — music
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. march — the month
  18. stand — to bear
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. pit — a hole

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