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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. degree — an amount
  4. shower — rain
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. track — to keep track
  8. press — to push
  9. chip — for betting
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. degree — temperature
  12. pit — in a race
  13. press — a publisher
  14. track — a path
  15. roll — a list
  16. track — a song
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. chip — to eat
  19. press — newspapers
  20. degree — from a university
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. pit — a hole
  23. shower — to wash
  24. roll — a cake

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