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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. pit — in a race
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. stock — goods
  7. squash — to crush
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. season — in sport
  10. chair — a leader
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. season — of the year
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. stock — shares
  19. stand — to bear
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. squash — the sport
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. pit — a hole

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