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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. track — a path
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. cue — a hint
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. press — newspapers
  8. cue — a signal
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. press — to push
  12. cue — for pool
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. press — a publisher
  18. row — a line
  19. track — a song
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. row — to paddle
  23. pit — a hole
  24. bore — gave birth

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