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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. season — of the year
  3. charge — in control
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. scale — size or range
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. pit — in a race
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. kick — in football
  11. current — of water
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — to tease
  14. current — happening now
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. pit — a hole
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. current — electric
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. scale — in music
  21. kid — child
  22. charge — a price
  23. charge — electricity
  24. season — in sport

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