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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. prune — to trim
  3. charge — a price
  4. land — a country
  5. charge — in control
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. press — a publisher
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. rash — hasty
  11. press — to push
  12. pit — in a race
  13. charge — electricity
  14. rash — a series
  15. press — newspapers
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pit — a hole
  18. foot — a measure
  19. land — to come down
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. land — ground

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