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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. can — to be able to
  4. season — of the year
  5. can — a tin
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. can — a tin
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. game — a match
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. ground — crushed
  15. stand — to bear
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — in a race
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. season — in sport
  24. game — wild animals

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