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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. pit — a hole
  6. rock — a stone
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. tube — a container
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — all right
  18. pit — in a race
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — newspapers
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to click
  23. press — to push
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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