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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. craft — a skill
  7. pit — a hole
  8. cell — a phone
  9. craft — boats
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. present — the time now
  12. pit — in a race
  13. bore — to drill
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bore — to tire
  16. present — a gift
  17. rule — government
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. present — there
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. rule — a law
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — in biology

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