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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. game — a match
  3. mate — to breed
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. press — to push
  6. cell — in biology
  7. press — newspapers
  8. pit — in a race
  9. game — wild animals
  10. press — a publisher
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. march — the month
  13. squash — to crush
  14. mate — a friend
  15. cell — a phone
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pass — a permit
  18. mate — a partner
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. squash — the sport
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. cell — in a prison

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