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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. press — newspapers
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. wound — an injury
  6. march — music
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. march — the month
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. press — to push
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. march — the month
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. press — a publisher
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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