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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bound — tied together
  5. cell — in biology
  6. kid — to tease
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — obliged
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kid — child
  14. mate — to breed
  15. kick — in football
  16. press — a publisher
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. press — newspapers
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pit — in a race
  23. cell — a phone
  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