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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 light ________________ burned out.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pit — in a race
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a cake
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. squash — the sport
  10. cue — a signal
  11. march — music
  12. press — to push
  13. cue — a hint
  14. bulb — for light
  15. roll — a list
  16. squash — to crush
  17. pit — a hole
  18. cue — for pool
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. stem — to come from
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — newspapers
  24. stem — a stem cell

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