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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. rule — a law
  4. pit — a hole
  5. lie — to recline
  6. root — of a word
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rule — government
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. season — of the year
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a plant
  19. pit — in a race
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. dip — to sink
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. season — in sport

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