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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. fine — all right
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. tube — the underground
  5. pit — in a race
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — there
  8. fine — high quality
  9. pit — a hole
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. vault — a safe
  12. bound — obliged
  13. season — of the year
  14. tube — a container
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. present — the time now
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. season — in sport
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. branch — a division

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