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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — a hole
  5. fork — in a road
  6. season — in sport
  7. cell — a phone
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — in biology
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. pit — in a race
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. season — of the year
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. rock — music
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. content — happy
  22. rash — hasty
  23. content — the amount
  24. rash — a series

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