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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. pit — in a race
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. press — a publisher
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. press — to push
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. press — newspapers
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — all right
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — in sport
  23. pit — a hole
  24. bat — the animal

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