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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. press — to push
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. press — a publisher
  7. last — finally
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. pit — in a race
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. net — for catching
  12. game — a match
  13. net — after costs
  14. drill — army training
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. pit — a hole
  17. last — final
  18. drill — a practice
  19. net — in sport
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. last — to go on
  22. press — newspapers
  23. chair — a leader
  24. drill — the tool

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