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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  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. march — music
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pit — a hole
  5. race — a contest
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. press — to push
  8. land — to come down
  9. pit — in a race
  10. march — the month
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. land — a country
  14. degree — temperature
  15. race — humankind
  16. press — a publisher
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. race — the arms race
  20. land — ground
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — an amount
  23. press — newspapers
  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