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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. last — finally
  3. lie — to recline
  4. press — newspapers
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. press — to push
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. march — the month
  9. cell — a phone
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. foot — a measure
  14. cell — in biology
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. last — to go on
  17. wax — to grow
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. last — final
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. pit — in a race
  23. press — a publisher
  24. foot — part of the body

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