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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pit — a hole
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. lean — thin
  5. last — finally
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. press — a publisher
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bear — the animal
  11. last — to go on
  12. press — to push
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bear — the animal
  16. last — final
  17. lean — to bend
  18. press — newspapers
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. safe — out of danger

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